Initial unemployment insurance claims rise for week ending June 24

BATON ROUGE – Initial unemployment insurance claims for the week ending June 24, 2017 increased to 2,959 from the previous week’s total of 2,922. For the comparable week a year ago, ending June 25, 2016, 2,966 initial claims were filed.

The four-week moving average of initial claims increased to 2,937 from the previous week’s average of 2,924.

Continued unemployment insurance weeks claimed for the week ending June 24, 2017 increased to 23,886 from the previous week’s total of 23,492. Continued weeks claimed were below the comparable figure of 26,939 for the week ending June 25, 2016.

The four-week moving average of continued weeks claimed increased to 23,313 from the previous week’s average of 22,982.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) connects with local employers and vendors all across the state to provide job opportunities in family-sustaining careers to both veterans and the general public. On Thursday, June 15, 2017, more than 50 job-seekers, in addition to the 17 veterans who were in attendance, sought out family-sustaining careers at the Calcasieu Business and Career Solutions Center (BCSC) located in Lake Charles, La. Additionally, 25 job-seeker surveys were collected at the end, in conjunction with 32 employer surveys.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) has countless tools both in person and online to help claimants file and process their claims. This is in addition to the agency’s 59 local offices statewide, job fairs, training programs, apprenticeship opportunities and numerous other services.

Updates to the LWC’s unemployment information processing system are still being implemented. As a result, the following data are not currently available: the break-out of interstate claims, Louisiana unemployment insurance claimants' parish of residence, unemployment insurance claims by industry and UI claimants who have received at least one check during the reference month in Louisiana. Additionally, all reported numbers on initial and continued claims are estimates.

For more detailed information on occupational groups of unemployment insurance claimants, visit www.laworks.net and select Labor Market Information.

The Unemployment Insurance (UI) Weekly Claims Data webpage includes the following: UI Weekly Claims Data by Regional Labor Market Area and by Parish, UI Weekly Claims Data by Industry for Louisiana, UI Definition and UI Monthly Claimant Characteristics by Parish. To access these products, select Labor Market Information at www.laworks.net, scroll down the LMI page to the LMI Products section, and select Unemployment Insurance Claims.