Applications for jobless benefits fell by 25,000 for the week ending December 1, bringing the total to 370,000, down from last week’s revised figure of 395,000, the Labor Department announced on Thursday.
The four-week moving average, a “less volatile” figure, increased by 2,250, bringing the total to 408,000, up from last week’s revised average of 405,750, its highest point since October 2011.
“The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.5 percent for the week ending November 24, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week’s unrevised rate,” the report reads.
“The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending November 24 was 3,205,000, a decrease of 100,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 3,305,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,309,000, an increase of 7,750 from the preceding week’s revised average of 3,301,250,” the report adds.
The states with the largest increases in initial claims for the week ending December 1 were Wisconsin (+5,876), Oregon (+2,328), Ohio (+2,252), Washington (+2,107), and Iowa (+1,262).
Meanwhile, New Jersey (-23,966), California (-7,053), New York (-6,682), Texas (-6,425) and North Carolina (-2,609) posted the biggest decreases in initial claims.
“The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid fell sharply last week as a temporary spike caused by Superstorm Sandy has faded,” the Associated Press reports.
That’s odd. Have you noticed that when the numbers show any sign of improvement, the Sandy excuse seems to fade away almost immediately?
Oh, wait, we spoke too soon: “The impact of the storm can still be seen in the four-week average. It rose to 408,000 last week,” the AP notes.
Okay, so let’s see if we got this straight: A decrease in initial claims means Sandy has “faded,” but an increase in the four-week average means the “impact of the storm” is still being felt?
How much you wanna’ bet that if the numbers go up, Sandy gets trotted back out as an excuse?
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glckgrl
Dec. 6, 2012 at 5:18pmIf Obama says it, it must be true. After all, when Leno asked him whether He (unlike Slick Willie) inhaled, our Stoner-in-Chief replied “that was the point.”
I wonder if BO has told the truth since then…
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dirigo
Dec. 7, 2012 at 9:50amNOPE!!! LIES, LIES, AND MORE LIES!
The truth of the unemployment numbers is because they are denying benefits…. My brother was denied when he was let go from his job. The company won’t give a reason for letting him go and the lady at the unemployment office was abitch! They are working together as usual!
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tomacz
Dec. 6, 2012 at 2:01pmoh gawd,don’t tell me,,the light at the end of the tunnel????
again??
we turned the corner
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cuencaecuador
Dec. 6, 2012 at 10:36amThis “Administration” is the master of the art of “There is no reality, there is only perception”. Couple that with the fact many of our fellow citizens burn with the desire to buy off on the perception it is no wonder they lead us around like a pretty girl does a horney guy.
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JRook
Dec. 6, 2012 at 12:28pmHow much you wanna’ bet that if the numbers go up, Sandy gets trotted back out as an excuse? Well how’s about we all grow up and look past excuses. The unemployment rate is where it is because of a President who’s economic policies and leadership brought us the worst recession since the great depression. But of course the analytical folks like beckett felt a need to hang it on the PRESIDENT a week after he took office. The one thing you can count on from a cheap critic is that they spend little time on discussing actual solutions.
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TRDOFITALL
Dec. 6, 2012 at 12:54pmThe CLAIMS were LOST just like so many of the VOTES for Mitt. The criminals in charge of all these violations are being watched Vveerryy Clloosseellyy ! ! JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL.
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NigelTufnel
Dec. 6, 2012 at 10:01am370,000 is a lousy number for this time of year. First time applications is only a small part of the equation however it can be used as a leading indicator. What we are looking for is two quarters of a consistant 350,000-360,000 numbers and that just isn’t happening. The one month spike of 425,000 was obviously Sandy’s doing. But we are 25,000 above the 345,000 number in October that helped Obama’s re-election stump. Every time the Obama regime heaps on regulations, it takes the market several months to react or swallow the new rules. As long as Obama can blame someone else, he will not stop the changes from coming down the pike. Dodd-Frank is still being felt as the banking industry is poised to lay-off 100,000 people in the next two quarters. Obamacare will change they work-force dynamic as well come January. This fiscal cliff talk is small taters compared to what has already been passed.
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KangarooJack
Dec. 6, 2012 at 9:46amWonder what the new claim #’s for Disability is?
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glckgrl
Dec. 6, 2012 at 5:30pmSpeaking of disability, how many people realize a large increase of disability claims is for children with adhd? This way, they get free medical and money for the rest of their life — once these kids turn 18, they NEVER work — because they are disabled. Meanwhile, the checks for the kids go to the parent(s) as Trustee for kids; the parents only work a tiny bit part time (if at all) so that they don’t lose the SSD benefits. Much better than welfare because then you don’t have to deal with social workers, just teh special ed teachers at school, and it pays more than welfare — but better yet, this does not expire. One of these parents actually told me they told their kids teachers SSD is so low that she couldn’t get her kids coats and boots last year, so the teachers paid for the kids new coats and boots. I have never known this woman to hold a job — ever — and her husband won’t work (on the books) over 15 hours a week so the “kids’ money” doesn’t get reduced. Before she confided the truth in me (stoned makes ya stupid), I brought a basket of Xmas gifts to her house, for the kids, but when she put them in the spare room, I saw a mountain of gifts in there, even though she tried to keep the door cracked when she put the basket in there. Sure some people are truly disabled, but there are so many scams. I had ADHD, but I put myself through law school and there is no way in Hades I would ever think to apply for $; I just deal with it by using lists and having ro
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ArgumentumAdAbsurdum
Dec. 6, 2012 at 9:35amWow, someone points out that the author is either, A. lacking in reasoning skills or B. is intentionally being obtuse and misleading, and their post gets removed. Way to encourage open dialog The Blaze. Kudos!
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Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
Dec. 6, 2012 at 9:29amOf course the revision in 2 weeks will show that it is actually 25K up. But hey, the media doesn’t report THAT number.
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glckgrl
Dec. 6, 2012 at 5:32pmEver!
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seaweaver1
Dec. 6, 2012 at 9:24amSomeone tell Glenn the UN Agenda 21 web page that has been up for 20 years is now scrubbed/gone
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SCREW-WINDOWS
Dec. 6, 2012 at 9:19amNew claims mean nothing what should be looked at is the extensions and numbers on unemployment.
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HotFixIt
Dec. 6, 2012 at 2:40pmThe real numbers are those who have run out of unemployment and are no longer counted in any of these statistics. What I want to know.. and the numbers that will tell us something real is.. how many people are actually employed in this country compared to before the crrash? Give us those numbers to compare each month.
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Tri-ox
Dec. 6, 2012 at 9:19amSo, more people have just given up and have joined the ranks of obama’s permanently unemployed – of course.
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NONCENTS
Dec. 6, 2012 at 9:53amMy thought exactly, – 25K more people have given up. No good news here.
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Kumo
Dec. 6, 2012 at 1:49pmI think a sizable amount of those that have fallen off of the radar are still working but only for cash under the table. I don’t blame them either, who really wants to support an administration and government that is running this nation into the ground?
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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Dec. 6, 2012 at 9:12amSo once again we see the voodoo magic of the administration hard at work. Manipulate details and data until it conforms to your view of insanity.
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chucksue351
Dec. 6, 2012 at 9:10amwhy does the government have the responsibility to keep these numbers anyway, it seems to me that an indepentent body should be in the business to keep business updated, the government has to many dogs in the fight to trust them
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ArmedAndReallyPissed
Dec. 6, 2012 at 9:09am“Forward” !!!!!!!
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HOOT_OWL
Dec. 6, 2012 at 9:08amReally..?!?!?
During the holiday RUSH season ,if someone doesn’t have a job ,they don’t want to work.
Lets compare those figures to AFTER the holidays jobs numbers.
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