REPEAT: MNI DATA ANALYSIS: US Jobless Claims Fall 2,000>

Repeats Story Initially Transmitted at 13:30 GMT Dec 7/08:30 EST Dec 7

--Four-Week Moving Average Fell 750 to 241,500; Could Fall Next Week

--Continuiung Claims Fell 52,000 to 1.908 Million

By Holly Stokes and Sara Haire 

     WASHINGTON (MNI) - Initial claims U.S. state unemployment benefits 

fell by 2,000 to 236,000 in the December 2 week, below the 240,000 level 

expected, data released by the Labor Department Thursday showed. 

     The four-week moving average for initial claims, a better measure 

of the underlying trend of the data, fell slightly by 750 to 241,500 in 

the December 2 week as the 239,000 level in the November 4 week rolled 

out of the equation. 

     If the number of headline claims does not change next week and 

there are no revisions to data from the past four weeks, the four-week 

average will fall by 4,000 as the 252,000 level in the November 11 

week rolls out of the calculation. 

     The Labor Department reported that backlogged claims filings in 

Puerto Rico continued to be processed, but have not yet returned to 

normal while claims in the Virgin Islands "continue to be disrupted." 

Unadjusted claims in Puerto Rico totalled 7,115 in the current week 

after 3,106 in the previous week. 

     Seasonal adjustment factors had expected an increase of 46.2%, or 

103,974 in unadjusted claims. Instead, unadjusted claim rose by 100,883 

to 325,762, so the current week's level was well below the 351,580 level 

a year ago. 

     The level of seasonally adjusted continuing claims fell by 52,000 

to 1.908 million in the November 25 holiday week, down from 1.960 

million in the November 18 survey week. 

     The four-week moving average for continuing claims rose by 

1,000 to 1.913 million. 

     Unadjusted continuing claims rose by 333,380 to 1.948 million 

in the week, keeping the level well below the 2.071 million level a 

year earlier. 

     The seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate held steady at 

1.4%, down from 1.5% in the same week a year earlier. 

     The unemployment rate among the insured labor force is well below 

that reported monthly by the Labor Department because claims are 

approved for the most part only for job losers, not the job leavers and 

labor force reentrants included in the monthly report. 

     ** MNI Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 **