Initial unemployment insurance claims rise for week ending May 26

BATON ROUGE – The initial unemployment insurance claims for the week ending May 26, 2018 rose to 3,059 from the previous week’s total of 2,351. For a comparison, during the week ending May 27, 2017, 2,907 initial claims were filed. The increase in initial unemployment insurance claims during this time of year is due to claims filed at the end of the school year by school board employees who are often recalled at the end of the summer.

The four-week moving average of initial claims increased to 2,375 from the previous week’s average of 2,171.

The unemployment insurance continued claims for the week ending May 26, 2018 increased to 15,367 from the previous week’s total of 15,258. The continued claims were below the comparable figure of 22,563 for the week ending May 27, 2017.

The four-week moving average of continued claims increased to 15,410 from the previous week’s average of 15,388.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission works across all industries so that every employer has the opportunity to provide a family-sustaining career to prospective job-seekers. On Monday, June 4, Mel's Transportation will host a hiring event for Class C and above van drivers, at the West Jefferson American Job Center. The event will be open to the public and is from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

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 62 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 and unemployment insurance claims by industry.

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.