March OK Unemployment

March OK Unemployment

The new claims filed for the week ending on 3/31/2012 filed for unemployment increased by 99 from 2,391 to 2,490. The average weekly new claims remained relatively stable from February to March. Those numbers were 2,434 and 2,426 respectively. In March of 2011 the average weekly new claims filed were 3383.

Continued unemployment claims increased by 417 from 22,903 to 23,320 for the week ending on 3/31/2012. The average number of weekly continued claims (people remaining unemployed) in March was 23,315, down from February average of 24,509, a drop of 5%. The average March continued claim was much better than 2011’s is also 28,923. This represents a decrease of 5,736 or 20% decline in the people remaining unemployed in Oklahoma since last year at the same time.

Oklahoma continues to have one of the lowest (12^th lowest) unemployment rates at 6.0%, using seasonally adjusted numbers. It is 6.4% for the unadjusted numbers.

April Unemployment - Initial

The new claims filed for the first week in April was up 641 to 3,131 while the continued unemployment claims dropped by 249 to 23,701.

Image 1 below shows the Initial Claims filed this year with the increase mentioned above for the first week in April.

Image 2 shows the continued claims that continue to fall this year.