South By North Strategies, Ltd.

For the filing week ending on September 19th, 18,046 North Carolinians filed initial claims for unemployment insurance, and 188,402 individuals applied for continuing insurance benefits. Compared to the prior week, both initial and continuing claims were higher. These figures come from data released today by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Averaging new and continuing claims over a four-week period — a process that helps adjust for seasonal fluctuations and better illustrates trends — shows that an average of 17,350 initial claims were filed over the last four weeks, along with an average of 189,656 continuing claims. Both levels were down slightly compared to the previous four-week period.

The graph shows the changes in unemployment insurance claims (as a share of covered employment) in North Carolina since the recession’s start (12/07).

Although new and continuing claims appear to have peaked for this cycle, the claims levels remain elevated and point to a labor market that is quite weak.