There were a seasonally adjusted 410,000 new unemployment claims made in the week ending February 12, up 25,000 from the week prior, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor. However, this increase had no effect on the national insured unemployment rate, which held steady from the week prior at an adjusted rate of 3.1 percent.
Overall, insured unemployment rose by about 1,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending February 5, up to slightly more than 3.91 million, the report said. This rate is lower than the four-week moving average of 3.94 million, which itself increased slightly over the previous week.
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On an unadjusted basis, only two states saw large increases in the number of new claims filed, the report said. Michigan dealt with 2,693 initial filings, while layoffs in the construction and furniture industries resulted in a jump of 1,222 in North Carolina.
Meanwhile, Florida and Texas, among a number of others, experienced significant declines in new filings made during the week, the report said. In the case of the former, a number of industries saw decreased layoffs, and while this was also true for Texas, ongoing inclement weather may have also contributed to some consumers being unable to issue new claims.
Unemployment rates have continued to increase even as many studies have shown the national economy in general has made significant improvements in recent months.