Washington, DC…In the week ending December 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 885,000, an increase of 23,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 9,000 from 853,000 to 862,000. The 4-week moving average was 812,500, an increase of 34,250 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 2,250 from 776,000 to 778,250. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.8 percent for the week ending December 5, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the previous week’s unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending December 5 was 5,508,000, a decrease of 273,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up 24,000 from 5,757,000 to 5,781,000. The 4-week moving average was 5,726,250, a decrease of 215,500 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 6,000 from 5,935,750 to 5,941,750.

UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 935,138 in the week ending December 12, a decrease of 21,335 (or -2.2 percent) from the previous week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 44,737 (or -4.7 percent) from the previous week. There were 270,547 initial claims in the comparable week in 2019. In addition, for the week ending December 12, 53 states reported 455,037 initial claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.7 percent during the week ending December 5, a decrease of 0.3 percentage point from the prior week. The advance unadjusted level of insured unemployment in state programstotaled 5,492,701, a decrease of 312,357 (or -5.4 percent) from the preceding week. The seasonal factors had expected a decrease of 39,403 (or -0.7 percent) from the previous week. A year earlier the rate was 1.2 percent and the volume was 1,728,066.

The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending November 28 was 20,646,779, an increase of 1,603,281 from the previous week. There were 1,782,260 weekly claims filed for benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2019. During the week ending November 28, Extended Benefits were available in the following 27 states: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, the Virgin Islands, and Washington.

Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 2,234 in the week ending December 5, an increase of 301 from the prior week. There were 821 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 196 from the preceding week. There were 16,501 continued weeks claimed filed by former Federal civilian employees the week ending November 28, an increase of 2,713 from the previous week. Continued weeks claimed filed by newly discharged veterans totaled 10,202, an increase of 1,059 from the prior week. During the week ending November 28, 51 states reported 9,244,556 continued weekly claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits and 51 states reported 4,801,408 continued claims for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits. The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending November 28 were in California (7.0), New Mexico (6.7), Alaska (6.6), Hawaii (6.5), Nevada (6.1), Illinois (5.6), Puerto Rico (5.6), Pennsylvania (5.5), Massachusetts (5.4), and the Virgin Islands (5.4). The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending December 5 were in California (+48,341), Illinois (+33,485), Texas (+22,729), Pennsylvania (+16,955), and New York (+16,814), while the largest decreases were in Louisiana (-2,666), Kentucky (-1,151), New Mexico (-378), the Virgin Islands (7), and North Dakota (96).

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DATA FOR REGULAR STATE PROGRAMS WEEK ENDING December 12 December 5 Change November 28 Prior Year1 Initial Claims (SA) 885,000 862,000 +23,000 716,000 229,000 Initial Claims (NSA) 935,138 956,473 -21,335718,522 270,547 4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 812,500 778,250 +34,250 740,500 220,750 WEEK ENDING December 5 November 28 Change November 21 Prior Year1 Insured Unemployment (SA) 5,508,000 5,781,000 -273,0005,527,000 1,725,000 Insured Unemployment (NSA) 5,492,701 5,805,058 -312,3575,247,626 1,728,066 4-Wk Moving Average (SA) 5,726,250 5,941,750 -215,5006,196,000 1,696,750 Insured Unemployment Rate (SA)2 3.8% 3.9% -0.13.8% 1.2% Insured Unemployment Rate (NSA)2 3.7% 4.0% -0.33.6% 1.2% INITIAL CLAIMS FILED IN FEDERAL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED) WEEK ENDING December 12 December 5 Change November 28 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance 455,037 415,037 +40,000 288,234 WEEK ENDING December 5 November 28 Change Prior Year1 Federal Employees (UCFE) 2,234 1,933 +301 1,247 Newly Discharged Veterans (UCX) 821 625 +196 608 CONTINUED WEEKS CLAIMED FOR UI BENEFITS IN ALL PROGRAMS (UNADJUSTED)WEEK ENDING November 28 November 21 Change Prior Year1 Regular State 5,766,130 5,213,781 +552,349 1,751,951 Federal Employees 16,501 13,788 +2,713 9,668 Newly Discharged Veterans 10,202 9,143 +1,059 5,858 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance3 9,244,556 8,555,763 +688,793 NA Pandemic Emergency UC4 4,801,408 4,532,876 +268,532 NA Extended Benefits5 693,598 614,517 +79,081 0 State Additional Benefits6 3,323 2,363 +960 5,761 STC / Workshare 7 111,061 101,267 +9,794 9,022 TOTAL8 20,646,779 19,043,498 +1,603,281 1,782,260
FOOTNOTES SA – Seasonally Adjusted Data, NSA – Not Seasonally Adjusted Data.Continued weeks claimed represent all weeks of benefits claimed during the week being reported, and do not represent weeks claimed by unique individuals.
1.Prior year is comparable to most recent data.
2.Most recent week used covered employment of 146,534,375 as denominator.
3.Information on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program can be found in UIPL 16-20: PUA Programinformation
4.Information on the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program can be found in UnemploymentInsurance Program Letter (UIPL) 17-20: PEUC Program information
5.Information on the EB program can be found here: EB Program information

6.Some states maintain additional benefit programs for those claimants who exhaust regular benefits, and when applicable,extended benefits. Information on states that participate, and the extent of benefits paid, can be found starting on page 4-4 ofthis link: Extensions and Special Programs PDF

7.Information on STC/Worksharing can be found starting on page 4-8 of the following link: Extensions and Special ProgramsPDF
8.Totals include PUA Unemployment for the appropriate corresponding week.

Advance State Claims – Not Seasonally Adjusted Initial Claims Filed During Week Ended December 12 Insured Unemployment For Week Ended December 5 STATE Advance Prior Wk Change Advance Prior Wk Change Alabama 6,927 7,656 -729 20,179 24,658 -4,479 Alaska 4,809 4,525 284 19,980 20,295 -315 Arizona 9,280 7,362 1,918 79,353 82,614 -3,261 Arkansas 3,395 4,649 -1,254 19,330 24,634 -5,304 California 202,627 178,724 23,903 1,175,831 1,224,826 -48,995 Colorado 20,942 19,087 1,855 98,546 91,648 6,898 Connecticut 8,380 7,796 584 74,882 75,578 -696 Delaware 4,292 2,037 2,255 13,346 13,535 -189 District of Columbia 1,610 1,679 -69 27,520 29,411 -1,891 Florida 21,780 29,142 -7,362 135,622 186,749 -51,127 Georgia 23,286 33,003 -9,717 159,670 234,262 -74,592 Hawaii 4,700 4,272 428 35,218 40,237 -5,019 Idaho 3,854 5,075 -1,221 9,875 10,549 -674 Illinois 142,745 107,616 35,129 336,555 334,287 2,268 Indiana 17,964 23,622 -5,658 78,252 84,790 -6,538 Iowa 6,949 10,112 -3,163 38,748 42,382 -3,634 Kansas 37,448 31,158 6,290 81,566 61,255 20,311 Kentucky 7,079 8,168 -1,089 47,000 46,877 123 Louisiana 7,527 9,114 -1,587 62,669 75,004 -12,335 Maine 3,016 3,005 11 13,608 12,930 678 Maryland 10,247 10,204 43 68,948 74,434 -5,486 Massachusetts 24,381 26,573 -2,192 161,928 192,718 -30,790 Michigan 17,553 23,408 -5,855 171,290 211,537 -40,247 Minnesota 15,923 25,177 -9,254 139,907 140,443 -536 Mississippi 4,605 5,075 -470 26,283 31,543 -5,260 Missouri 8,359 10,569 -2,210 43,321 49,277 -5,956 Montana 2,594 4,001 -1,407 16,551 17,123 -572 Nebraska 2,534 3,034 -500 11,210 12,865 -1,655 Nevada 9,626 8,783 843 79,642 85,680 -6,038 New Hampshire 2,949 3,413 -464 20,743 21,242 -499 New Jersey 15,076 17,025 -1,949 149,476 154,758 -5,282 New Mexico 5,233 7,959 -2,726 52,240 54,405 -2,165 New York 58,023 62,677 -4,654 393,644 410,760 -17,116 North Carolina 8,765 9,950 -1,185 65,451 73,457 -8,006 North Dakota 1,698 1,709 -11 8,741 7,665 1,076 Ohio 36,894 36,373 521 154,133 154,041 92 Oklahoma 4,352 6,168 -1,816 37,313 47,184 -9,871 Oregon 10,249 15,753 -5,504 90,078 86,426 3,652 Pennsylvania 38,655 40,833 -2,178 316,549 318,365 -1,816 Puerto Rico 1,099 1,350 -251 43,960 48,409 -4,449 Rhode Island 5,567 5,261 306 17,711 15,849 1,862 South Carolina 3,723 4,774 -1,051 40,731 46,371 -5,640 South Dakota 858 904 -46 3,793 3,924 -131 Tennessee 7,464 6,856 608 45,294 47,466 -2,172 Texas 35,618 47,521 -11,903 391,327 374,452 16,875 Utah 3,167 3,305 -138 14,361 14,501 -140 Vermont 1,365 2,013 -648 12,293 11,938 355 Virgin Islands 13 60 -47 3,148 2,018 1,130 Virginia 21,095 16,654 4,441 68,210 73,804 -5,594 Washington 20,361 25,623 -5,262 190,948 175,224 15,724 West Virginia 3,143 3,059 84 23,269 20,995 2,274 Wisconsin 14,478 21,700 -7,222 96,831 104,264 -7,433 Wyoming 861 907 -46 5,627 5,399 228 US Total 935,138 956,473 -21,335 5,492,701 5,805,058 -312,357
Note: Advance claims are not directly comparable to claims reported in prior weeks. Advance claims are reported by the state liable for paying the unemployment compensation, whereas previous weeks reported claims reflect claimants by state of residence. In addition, claims reported as “workshare equivalent” in the previous week are added to the advance claims as a proxy for the current week’s “workshare equivalent” activity.

Seasonally Adjusted US Weekly UI Claims (in thousands) Week Ending Initial Claims Change from Prior Week 4-WeekAverageInsured Unemployment Change from Prior Week 4-WeekAverageIUR December 7, 2019 237 31 219.251,725 25 1,696.751.2 December 14, 2019 229 -8220.751,716 -91,709.501.2 December 21, 2019 218 -11222.501,728 121,717.251.2 December 28, 2019 220 2226.001,775 471,736.001.2 January 4, 2020 212 -8219.751,759 -161,744.501.2 January 11, 2020 207 -5214.251,735 -241,749.251.2 January 18, 2020 220 13214.751,704 -311,743.251.2 January 25, 2020 212 -8212.751,753 491,737.751.2 February 1, 2020 201 -11210.001,678 -751,717.501.2 February 8, 2020 204 3209.251,729 511,716.001.2 February 15, 2020 215 11208.001,693 -361,713.251.2 February 22, 2020 220 5210.001,720 271,705.001.2 February 29, 2020 217 -3214.001,699 -211,710.251.2 March 7, 2020 211 -6215.751,702 31,703.501.2 March 14, 2020 282 71232.501,784 821,726.251.2 March 21, 2020 3,307 3,025 1,004.253,059 1,275 2,061.002.1 March 28, 2020 6,867 3,560 2,666.757,446 4,387 3,497.755.1 April 4, 2020 6,615 -2524,267.7511,914 4,468 6,050.758.2 April 11, 2020 5,237 -1,3785,506.5015,819 3,905 9,559.5010.9 April 18, 2020 4,442 -7955,790.2518,011 2,192 13,297.5012.4 April 25, 2020 3,867 -5755,040.2522,377 4,366 17,030.2515.4 May 2, 2020 3,176 -6914,180.5022,548 171 19,688.7515.5 May 9, 2020 2,687 -4893,543.0024,912 2,364 21,962.0017.1 May 16, 2020 2,446 -2413,044.0020,841 -4,07122,669.5014.3 May 23, 2020 2,123 -3232,608.0021,268 42722,392.2514.6 May 30, 2020 1,897 -2262,288.2520,606 -66221,906.7514.1 June 6, 2020 1,566 -3312,008.0020,289 -31720,751.0013.9 June 13, 2020 1,540 -261,781.5019,231 -1,05820,348.5013.2 June 20, 2020 1,482 -581,621.2518,760 -47119,721.5012.9 June 27, 2020 1,408 -741,499.0017,760 -1,00019,010.0012.2 July 4, 2020 1,310 -981,435.0017,304 -45618,263.7511.8 July 11, 2020 1,308 -21,377.0016,151 -1,15317,493.7511.1 July 18, 2020 1,422 1141,362.0016,951 80017,041.5011.6 July 25, 2020 1,435 131,368.7516,090 -86116,624.0011.0 August 1, 2020 1,191 -2441,339.0015,480 -61016,168.0010.6 August 8, 2020 971 -2201,254.7514,759 -72115,820.0010.1 August 15, 2020 1,104 1331,175.2514,492 -26715,205.259.9 August 22, 2020 1,011 -931,069.2513,292 -1,20014,505.759.1 August 29, 2020 884 -127992.5013,544 25214,021.759.3 September 5, 2020 893 9973.0012,747 -79713,518.758.7 September 12, 2020 866 -27913.5012,747 013,082.508.7 September 19, 2020 873 7879.0011,979 -76812,754.258.2 September 26, 2020 849 -24870.2510,594 -1,38512,016.757.2 October 3, 2020 767 -82838.759,398 -1,19611,179.506.4 October 10, 2020 842 75832.758,472 -92610,110.755.8 October 17, 2020 797 -45813.757,823 -6499,071.755.3 October 24, 2020 758 -39791.007,222 -6018,228.754.9 October 31, 2020 757 -1788.506,798 -4247,578.754.6 November 7, 2020 711 -46755.756,370 -4287,053.254.3 November 14, 2020 748 37743.506,089 -2816,619.754.2 November 21, 2020 787 39750.755,527 -5626,196.003.8 November 28, 2020 716 -71740.505,781 2545,941.753.9 December 5, 2020 862 146778.255,508 -2735,726.253.8 December 12, 2020 885 23812.50

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Claims – Not Seasonally Adjusted PUA Initial Claims Filed During Week Ended December 12 PUA Continued Claims For Week Ended Nov 28 STATE Advance Prior Wk Change Nov 28 Nov 21 Change Alabama 1,924 2,672 -748 47,406 45,064 2,342 Alaska 340 254 86 8,874 10,883 -2,009 Arizona 1,622 1,581 41 209,441 218,703 -9,262 Arkansas 1,942 2,316 -374 4,837 45,719 -40,882 California 48,813 34,143 14,670 1,820,945 1,820,945 0 Colorado 20,621 17,232 3,389 83,656 63,694 19,962 Connecticut 562 545 17 39,796 38,565 1,231 Delaware 114 94 20 6,818 7,257 -439 District of Columbia 211 171 40 15,539 14,522 1,017 Florida 20,657 23,400 -2,743 0 0 0 Georgia 2,822 2,884 -62 206,153 172,490 33,663 Hawaii 9,358 4,308 5,050 99,044 68,816 30,228 Idaho 8 13 -511,208 10,941 267 Illinois 36,204 26,450 9,754 160,381 145,593 14,788 Indiana 25,232 28,579 -3,347 625,450 349,429 276,021 Iowa 1,535 1,692 -157 12,869 11,742 1,127 Kansas 6,547 5,382 1,165 59,340 46,120 13,220 Kentucky 6,755 4,477 2,278 37,463 47,630 -10,167 Louisiana 2,775 2,387 388 114,073 119,563 -5,490 Maine 931 1,182 -251 16,775 15,395 1,380 Maryland 2,902 2,593 309 208,656 185,085 23,571 Massachusetts 6,223 7,987 -1,764 432,810 403,891 28,919 Michigan 6,425 6,954 -529 411,643 435,249 -23,606 Minnesota 11 31 -20 44,817 39,539 5,278 Mississippi 1,301 0 1,301 25,110 26,228 -1,118 Missouri 332 296 36 43,416 40,652 2,764 Montana 1,202 1,780 -578 29,402 24,489 4,913 Nebraska 606 751 -145 7,870 7,161 709 Nevada 46,755 61,290 -14,535 78,977 77,712 1,265 New Hampshire 880 535 345 13,156 12,459 697 New Jersey 5,128 5,427 -299 374,307 349,335 24,972 New Mexico 1,268 1,631 -363 36,598 32,557 4,041 New York 28,181 31,335 -3,154 1,103,911 1,182,600 -78,689 North Carolina 10,147 12,377 -2,230 129,433 119,085 10,348 North Dakota 1,076 731 345 6,470 6,346 124 Ohio 54,722 43,767 10,955 430,840 381,988 48,852 Oklahoma 553 507 46 9,441 9,423 18 Oregon 33,840 19,597 14,243 206,860 121,506 85,354 Pennsylvania 14,047 13,191 856 712,054 684,978 27,076 Puerto Rico 13,967 13,267 700 234,520 215,385 19,135 Rhode Island 5,977 1,729 4,248 40,663 39,731 932 South Carolina 2,971 2,758 213 54,535 52,525 2,010 South Dakota 19 18 1 1,415 1,318 97 Tennessee 3,031 2,074 957 68,087 64,829 3,258 Texas 7,026 8,220 -1,194 582,764 414,607 168,157 Utah 682 731 -49 3,108 3,067 41 Vermont 53 64 -11 8,694 8,451 243 Virgin Islands 51 50 1 0 0 0 Virginia 8,366 9,201 -835 220,654 190,366 30,288 Washington 4,068 3,763 305 108,570 108,859 -289 West Virginia 1,504 207 1,297 2,800 34,560 -31,760 Wisconsin 2,595 2,282 313 31,136 27,055 4,081 Wyoming 155 131 24 1,771 1,656 115 US Total 455,037 415,037 40,000 9,244,556 8,555,763 688,793
Note: Information on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program can be found in UIPL 16-20: PUA Program information. Backdated claims may be included in these figures.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Continued Claims – Not Seasonally AdjustedPEUC Claims Filed During Weeks Ended: STATE November 28 November 21 Change November 14 November 7 Alabama 25,293 26,810 -1,517 29,960 32,916 Alaska 8,475 8,459 16 8,909 8,856 Arizona 57,064 55,001 2,063 55,006 53,370 Arkansas 10,771 10,881 -110 12,414 12,395 California 1,366,951 1,272,167 94,784 1,264,212 1,294,265 Colorado 74,907 70,031 4,876 66,806 64,790 Connecticut 63,903 61,155 2,748 61,390 60,046 Delaware 14,118 14,193 -75 14,228 13,485 District of Columbia 26,558 25,433 1,125 25,054 23,984 Florida 0 0 0 0 0 Georgia 0 0 0 0 0 Hawaii 53,573 45,256 8,317 50,244 42,411 Idaho 4,415 4,473 -58 4,876 5,237 Illinois 248,634 231,238 17,396 228,583 218,266 Indiana 58,562 56,452 2,110 56,653 53,389 Iowa 26,863 24,068 2,795 26,410 25,855 Kansas 21,764 22,105 -341 23,104 22,274 Kentucky 30,176 31,212 -1,036 29,672 29,580 Louisiana 43,831 41,452 2,379 39,167 35,533 Maine 12,982 12,683 299 13,513 13,896 Maryland 61,954 56,837 5,117 56,777 52,196 Massachusetts 180,256 175,774 4,482 173,966 171,042 Michigan 227,767 228,265 213,879 220,670 Minnesota 90,072 83,514 -498 6,558 83,409 80,864 Mississippi 16,991 17,360 -369 16,796 16,960 Missouri 35,669 36,110 -441 41,749 45,274 Montana 5,745 5,749 -4 5,710 5,657 Nebraska 4,341 4,230 111 4,249 4,225 Nevada 98,178 95,860 2,318 95,965 94,009 New Hampshire 8,235 7,056 1,179 7,749 7,467 New Jersey 187,753 178,203 9,550 181,185 179,936 New Mexico 38,550 35,654 2,896 34,946 32,483 New York 749,766 715,067 34,699 717,795 688,988 North Carolina 126,621 123,151 3,470 127,999 125,910 North Dakota 6,014 5,942 72 6,019 6,023 Ohio 101,160 97,556 3,604 98,202 95,005 Oklahoma 27,285 28,053 -768 27,888 26,260 Oregon 65,481 60,715 4,766 60,972 60,790 Pennsylvania 230,191 202,582 27,609 214,793 196,087 Puerto Rico 42,766 34,696 8,070 36,177 32,957 Rhode Island 19,553 19,302 251 19,674 19,891 South Carolina 58,169 60,582 -2,413 69,870 69,870 South Dakota 832 726 106 890 812 Tennessee 38,165 39,547 -1,382 42,818 45,141 Texas 34,537 20,465 14,072 22,615 28,860 Utah 7,600 7,983 7,703 8,363 Vermont 9,825 8,963 9,598 9,158 Virgin Islands 67 48 110 78 Virginia 81,256 79,288 86,226 88,519 Washington 5,505 4,256 5,761 4,189 West Virginia 18,153 17,414 17,828 17,557 Wisconsin 70,597 65,454 65,989 60,044 Wyoming 3,514 3,405 3,508 3,451 US Total 4,801,408 4,532,876 -383 862 19 1,968 1,249 739 5,143 109268,532 4,569,016 4,509,284

Note: Information on the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program can be found in Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) 17-20: PEUC Program information

Extended Benefits (EB) Continued Claims – Not Seasonally Adjusted EB Claims Filed During Weeks Ended: STATE November 28 November 21 Change Alabama 0 0 0 Alaska 1,638 1,475 163 Arizona 6,503 5,719 784 Arkansas 210 255 -45 California 148,518 116,397 32,121 Colorado 57 61 -4 Connecticut 8,494 8,327 167 Delaware 144 116 28 District of Columbia 28 30 -2 Florida 0 0 0 Georgia 0 0 0 Hawaii 23 20 3 Idaho 27 15 12 Illinois 28,672 29,002 -330 Indiana 70 71 -1Iowa 136 127 9 Kansas 4,432 1,416 3,016 Kentucky 78 109 -31 Louisiana 2,416 2,281 135 Maine 73 132 -59 Maryland 7,428 7,293 135 Massachusetts 23,622 22,663 959 Michigan 50,215 30,024 20,191 Minnesota 16,315 14,134 2,181 Mississippi 5,522 5,089 433 Missouri 212 68 144 Montana 77 144 -67 Nebraska 68 66 2 Nevada 16,774 14,832 1,942 New Hampshire 485 437 48 New Jersey 42,216 33,663 8,553 New Mexico 2,431 2,310 121 New York 51,160 51,256 -96 North Carolina 48,751 54,208 -5,457 North Dakota 7 5 2 Ohio 17,862 16,590 1,272 Oklahoma 0 0 0 Oregon 9,446 8,313 1,133 Pennsylvania 24,310 21,701 2,609 Puerto Rico 2,680 1,630 1,050 Rhode Island 3,513 3,147 366 South Carolina 19,992 15,238 4,754 South Dakota 0 0 0 Tennessee 52 231 -179 Texas 113,125 104,603 8,522 Utah 0 0 0 Vermont 886 706 180 Virgin Islands 0 0 0 Virginia 3,182 21,238 -18,056 Washington 20,910 19,326 1,584 West Virginia 30 21 9 Wisconsin 10,805 21 10,784 Wyoming 3 7 -4 US Total 693,598 614,517 79,081
Note: Information on the EB program can be found here: EB Program information

INITIAL CLAIMS FILED DURING WEEK ENDED DECEMBER 5 INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT FOR WEEK ENDED NOVEMBER 28 CHANGE FROM CHANGE FROM ALL PROGRAMS EXCLUDING RAILROAD RETIREMENT STATE NAME STATE LAST WEEK YEAR AGO UCFE 1 UCX1 STATE (%) 2 LAST WEEK YEAR AGO UCFE 1 UCX1 Alabama 7,656 595 4,429 15 11 24,658 1.3 1,709 8,697 89 47 24,794 Alaska 4,525 691 3,379 18 1 20,295 6.6 829 10,758 229 40 20,564 Arizona 7,362 1,793 3,249 18 3 82,614 2.8 1,395 64,088 285 194 83,093 Arkansas 4,649 986 2,213 3 0 24,634 2.1 3,414 12,065 161 40 24,835 California 178,724 48,341 130,290 465 127 1,224,826 7.0 121,403 897,322 3,623 2,252 1,230,701 Colorado 19,087 1,916 15,925 35 26 91,648 3.4 11,951 71,984 265 332 92,245 Connecticut 7,796 1,847 3,505 30 5 75,578 4.6 972 45,395 402 95 76,075 Delaware 2,037 504 938 9 3 13,535 3.0 1,432 8,387 46 21 13,602 District of Columbia 1,679 569 1,044 35 2 29,411 5.0 136 22,528 436 8 29,855 Florida 29,142 6,079 23,461 59 58 186,749 2.1 44,496 147,832 470 341 187,560 Georgia 33,003 13,820 23,411 103 38 234,262 5.3 31,901 203,023 690 450 235,402 Hawaii 4,272 730 2,837 8 11 40,237 6.5 5,282 34,038 211 165 40,613 Idaho 5,075 1,084 2,801 32 2 10,549 1.4 1,304 5,061 164 10 10,723 Illinois 107,616 33,485 92,818 12 2 334,287 5.6 35,717 238,873 512 267 335,066 Indiana 23,622 3,047 19,589 27 9 84,790 2.8 6,116 69,317 207 100 85,097 Iowa 10,112 4,755 4,581 16 2 42,382 2.8 8,670 21,988 92 44 42,518 Kansas 31,158 8,639 28,982 4 1 61,255 4.5 11,363 53,009 65 45 61,365 Kentucky 8,168 -1,151 4,575 6 1 46,877 2.5 2,736 28,054 60 171 47,108 Louisiana 9,114 -2,666 6,666 17 11 75,004 4.0 141 60,441 145 44 75,193 Maine 3,005 1,061 1,654 9 0 12,930 2.1 982 7,547 40 7 12,977 Maryland 10,204 915 6,149 31 11 74,434 3.0 -1,414 49,905 280 53 74,767 Massachusetts 26,573 2,395 16,334 59 13 192,718 5.4 9,726 138,378 444 116 193,278 Michigan 23,408 443 12,888 82 9 211,537 4.9 52,099 158,736 250 85 211,872 Minnesota 25,177 650 16,018 18 11 140,443 4.9 25,728 90,409 177 114 140,734 Mississippi 5,075 1,702 3,710 5 0 31,543 2.8 1,803 23,608 102 30 31,675 Missouri 10,569 1,974 5,947 10 3 49,277 1.8 6,035 29,006 110 36 49,423 Montana 4,001 368 2,069 64 6 17,123 3.7 1,282 8,253 312 29 17,464 Nebraska 3,034 642 1,884 10 3 12,865 1.3 1,567 9,423 18 9 12,892 Nevada 8,783 2,341 5,642 19 0 85,680 6.1 1,317 66,594 157 125 85,962 New Hampshire 3,413 1,105 2,715 6 2 21,242 3.2 565 17,989 70 24 21,336 New Jersey 17,025 3,479 4,562 44 15 154,758 3.8 11,488 66,855 383 357 155,498 New Mexico 7,959 -378 6,918 16 0 54,405 6.7 5,275 45,135 399 88 54,892 New York 62,677 16,814 38,281 49 23 410,760 4.3 -2,772 271,441 282 365 411,407 North Carolina 9,950 3,559 6,107 45 41 73,457 1.7 4,608 53,763 280 322 74,059 North Dakota 1,709 96 705 4 0 7,665 1.9 656 4,331 23 8 7,696 Ohio 36,373 8,587 25,985 26 43 154,041 2.9 9,773 101,234 256 265 154,562 Oklahoma 6,168 2,627 4,197 29 6 47,184 3.0 1,959 29,433 73 69 47,326 Oregon 15,753 382 9,177 119 14 86,426 4.5 9,934 56,794 722 128 87,276 Pennsylvania 40,833 16,955 15,416 203 46 318,365 5.5 53,764 214,601 1,296 436 320,097 Puerto Rico 1,350 381 22 2 2 48,409 5.6 10,160 30,378 188 29 48,626 Rhode Island 5,261 1,329 3,738 9 1 15,849 3.3 1,142 9,181 87 16 15,952 South Carolina 4,774 2,207 809 15 16 46,371 2.2 4,602 31,033 44 119 46,534 South Dakota 904 468 274 8 0 3,924 0.9 909 2,207 51 4 3,979 Tennessee 6,856 670 3,546 23 14 47,466 1.4 -3,504 30,657 42 56 47,564 Texas 47,521 22,729 26,872 219 188 374,452 3.0 20,261 238,692 874 1,650 376,976 Utah 3,305 920 1,109 71 5 14,501 1.0 255 5,873 182 18 14,701 Vermont 2,013 758 1,036 2 0 11,938 3.9 1,856 7,987 23 4 11,965 Virgin Islands 60 7 48 0 0 2,018 5.4 608 1,780 0 14 2,032 Virginia 16,654 8,048 12,370 16 10 73,804 2.0 1,499 54,728 351 314 74,469 Washington 25,623 2,363 15,500 51 14 175,224 5.1 14,331 115,308 482 539 176,245 West Virginia 3,059 1,431 949 9 1 20,995 3.2 2,898 6,981 124 37 21,156 Wisconsin 21,700 5,562 11,136 33 8 104,264 3.6 16,640 66,765 174 63 104,501 Wyoming 907 297 147 16 3 5,399 2.1 433 2,603 53 7 5,459 Totals 956,473 237,951 638,607 2,234 821 5,805,058 4.0 557,432 4,050,468 16,501 10,202 5,831,761
Figures appearing in columns showing over-the-week changes reflect all revisions in data for prior week submitted by state agencies.
1.The Unemployment Compensation program for Federal Employees (UCFE) and the Unemployment Compensation forEx-servicemembers (UCX) exclude claims filed jointly under other programs to avoid duplication.
2.Rate is not seasonally adjusted. The source of U.S. total covered employment is BLS.

UNADJUSTED INITIAL CLAIMS FOR WEEK ENDED DECEMBER 5, 2020
STATES WITH AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000 State Change State Supplied Comment CA +48,341Layoffs in the services industry. IL +33,485Layoffs in the other services, administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, wholesale trade, and retail trade industries. TX +22,729Layoffs in the accommodation and food services, manufacturing, and mining industries. PA +16,955Layoffs in the construction, accommodation and food services, administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, and transportation and warehousing industries. NY +16,814Layoffs in the transportation and warehousing, accommodation and food services, and construction industries. GA +13,820Layoffs in the manufacturing, accommodation and food services, administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, health care and social assistance, and trade industries. KS +8,639No comment. OH +8,587No comment. VA +8,048Layoffs in the accommodation and food services industry. FL +6,079Layoffs in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, construction, wholesale trade, retail trade, and service industries. WI +5,562Layoffs in the transportation and warehousing and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services industries. IA +4,755Layoffs in the construction, manufacturing, educational services, and accommodation and food services industries. NC +3,559Layoffs in the administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, accommodation and food services, and manufacturing industries. NJ +3,479No comment. IN +3,047No comment. OK +2,627No comment. MA +2,395No comment. WA +2,363Layoffs in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, construction, retail trade, educational services, and health care and social assistance industries. NV +2,341No comment. SC +2,207No comment. MO +1,974Layoffs in the construction and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services industries. CO +1,916No comment. CT +1,847Layoffs in the educational services, transportation and warehousing, and accommodation and food services industries. AZ +1,793No comment. MS +1,702No comment. WV +1,431No comment. RI +1,329Layoffs in the accommodation and food services, healthcare and social assistance, educational services, finance and insurance, and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services industries. NH +1,105No comment. ID +1,084No comment. ME +1,061Layoffs in the accommodation and food services and construction industries. STATES WITH A DECREASE OF MORE THAN 1,000 State Change State Supplied Comment LA -2,666No comment. KY -1,151No comment.

TECHNICAL NOTES
This news release presents the weekly unemployment insurance (UI) claims reported by each state’s unemployment insurance program offices. These claims may be used for monitoring workload volume, assessing state program operations and for assessing labor market conditions. States initially report claims directly taken by the state liable for the benefit payments, regardless of where the claimant who filed the claim resided. These are the basis for the advance initial claims and continued claims reported each week. These data come from ETA 538, Advance Weekly Initial and Continued Claims Report. The following week initial claims and continued claims are revised based on a second reporting by states that reflect the claimants by state of residence. These data come from the ETA 539, Weekly Claims and Extended Benefits Trigger Data Report.

A.Initial Claims
An initial claim is a claim filed by an unemployed individual after a separation from an employer. The claimant requests a determination of basic eligibility for the UI program. When an initial claim is filed with a state, certain programmatic activities take place and these result in activity counts including the count of initial claims. The count of U.S. initial claims for unemployment insurance is a leading economic indicator because it is an indication of emerging labor market conditions in the country. However, these are weekly administrative data which are difficult to seasonally adjust, making the series subject to some volatility.

B.Continued Weeks Claimed
A person who has already filed an initial claim and who has experienced a week of unemployment then files a continued claim to claim benefits for that week of unemployment. On a weekly basis, continued claims are also referred to as insured unemployment, as continued claims reflect a good approximation of the current number of insured unemployed workers filing for UI benefits. The count of U.S. continued weeks claimed is also a good indicator of labor market conditions. While continued claims are not a leading indicator (they roughly coincide with economic cycles at their peaks and lag at cycle troughs), they provide confirming evidence of the direction of the U.S. economy.

C.Seasonal Adjustments and Annual Revisions
Over the course of a year, the weekly changes in the levels of initial claims and continued claims undergo regularly occurring fluctuations. These fluctuations may result from seasonal changes in weather, major holidays, the opening and closing of schools, or other similar events. Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each year, their influence on the level of a series can be tempered by adjusting for regular seasonal variation. These adjustments make trend and cycle developments easier to spot. At the beginning of each calendar year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) with a set of seasonal factors to apply to the unadjusted data during that year. Concurrent with the implementation and release of the new seasonal factors, ETA incorporates revisions to the UI claims historical series caused by updates to the unadjusted data.
Weekly Claims Archives Weekly Claims Data

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The Department’s Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts Departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the Department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal relay).

U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Washington, D.C. 20210 Release Number: USDL 20-2292-NAT Program Contacts: Thomas Stengle: (202) 693-2991 Media Contact: (202) 693-4676