Initial unemployment up a little from last week
Initial unemployment rose by 1,000, and continued claims fell by 71,000. In all, there are 7.5 million people on state and federal unemployment rolls.
This chart shows initial and continued unemployment claims from 2009 through last week. Initial claims seem to be in an upward trend.
SoldAtTheTop
showed an slight increase to both initial unemployment claims and decline to continued unemployment claims as a rising trend continued to materialize for initial claims.
Seasonally adjusted 鈥渋nitial鈥� unemployment increased by 1,000 to 427,000 claims from last week鈥檚 revised 426,000 claims while seasonally adjusted 鈥渃ontinued鈥� claims declined by 71,000 resulting in an 鈥渋nsured鈥� unemployment rate of 2.9%.
Since the middle of 2008 though, two federal government sponsored 鈥渆xtended鈥� unemployment benefit programs (the 鈥渆xtended benefits鈥� and 鈥淓UC 2008鈥� from recent legislation) have been picking up claimants that have fallen off of the traditional unemployment benefits rolls.
Currently there are some 3.99 million people receiving federal 鈥渆xtended鈥� unemployment benefits.
Taken together with the latest 3.51 million people that are currently counted as receiving traditional continued unemployment benefits, there are 7.50 million people on state and federal unemployment rolls.
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