There were 16,327 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending Feb. 9, a decrease of 2,350 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 23,235, a decrease of 140 from the prior week.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending Feb. 9 were in Alaska (4.8 percent), Michigan (4.4), Rhode Island (4.2), Idaho (4.0), Pennsylvania (3.8), Wisconsin (3.8), Oregon (3.7), Massachusetts (3.4), New Jersey (3.4), and Vermont (3.3).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending Feb. 16 were in North Carolina (+1,201), Wisconsin (+259), Louisiana (+172), and Rhode Island (+78), while the largest decreases were in California (-16,027), Kentucky (-4,709), Illinois (-3,912), Oregon (-3,078), and Michigan (-2,827).