Weekly Jobless Claims Report

Texas initial jobless claims for the week ending March 27 rose to 19,894 from 16,180 the previous week. The four-week moving average also rose to 18,193.

Continued claims (those receiving benefits for two weeks or more rose by 3,476 to reach 219,861, 12.6 percent lower than a year ago. Nationally, initial claims for the week ending March 27 declined by 6,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 445,000. Continued claims on the national level for the week of March 20 also decreased by 6,000 to 4.662 million from 4.668 million the previous week.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the national unemployment rate which remains unchanged at 9.7 percent for the third month in a row. According to the BLS’s Employment Situation Summary:

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 in March, and the unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Temporary help services and health care continued to add jobs over the month. Employment in federal government also rose, reflecting the hiring of temporary workers for Census 2010. Employment continued to decline in financial activities and in information.