While initial state unemployment claims increased according to the most recent weekly numbers, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission reports the four-week moving average has decreased 63% since the start of the year and is continuing downward.

“I am incredibly proud of the state and OESC employees for their hard work and dedication to serving Oklahomans throughout this past year,” Shelley Zumwalt, OESC executive director, said.

By the end of 2021, the four-week moving average of continuing claims had dropped from January’s high of 40,841 to “well below 15,000,” Zumwalt said.

“The initial claims’ four-week moving average has also decreased by 58% from 5,034 to 2,078,” she said. “Since the start of the pandemic, OESC paid out $5.5 billion in unemployment benefits, while continuing to keep the (Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund) solvent.”

Some of the steps taken last year to create “a robust plan for the future of the agency,” include “investing in OESC employees, refining the agency’s mission, vision and values, and increasing internal communication efforts,” she said.

“After seeing record low unemployment numbers following a pandemic that caused some of the highest unemployment rates we’ve seen, it’s now time for the agency to shift gears and look to the future,” said Zumwalt.

“Our goal is to build the workforce through our re-employment services and make equal investments in our employees and our technology.

“We are striving to create a quality experience for claimants that’s consistent across all our local offices.”

Numbers for Week Ending Dec. 18

For the week ending Dec. 18, the number of initial claims totaled 2,716, an increase of 947 from the previous week’s level of 1,769, according to the OESC report.

For the same week, the less volatile initial claims’ four-week moving average was 2,078, a decrease of 151 from the previous week’s average of 2,229.

The number of continued claims totaled 13,410, a decrease of 589 from the previous week’s level of 13,999.

Continued claims’ fourweek moving average was 14,066, a decrease of 309 from the previous week’s average of 14,375.

Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for the week ending Dec. 25 was 198,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week’s revised level, the U.S. Department of Labor reports.

The four-week moving average was 199,250, a decrease of 7,250 from the previous week’s revised average.

For the week ending Dec. 18, the U.S. DOL reports the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.3%, a decrease from the previous week’s unrevised rate.

The national weekly seasonally adjusted initial claims report is one of 10 components in the Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators. To smooth out the volatility in the weekly initial claims data, a fourweek moving average is used to assess trends.