An initial claim is the first weekly notice filed by a worker with a state unemployment office asking for a determination of eligibility for unemployment insurance after losing (or separating from) a job; it’s filed by the unemployed individual (including former state/federal civilian employees and discharged veterans under special programs).
The insured unemployment rate (IUR) measures workers currently receiving UI benefits (insured unemployed) as a percent of workers covered by the UI system (covered employment); it differs from the BLS overall unemployment rate because the latter (from the CPS) counts all unemployed people as a percent of the labor force, including many who don’t qualify for or don’t file for UI.
"Seasonally adjusted" data have predictable seasonal patterns (holidays, school cycles, hiring seasons) statistically removed so week‑to‑week changes reflect underlying trends; "not seasonally adjusted" (unadjusted) are the raw counts that include those regular seasonal swings. Agencies (BLS/ETA) produce both and update seasonal factors annually.
The EB program is a permanent federal–state program that temporarily adds weeks of UI benefits during periods of high state unemployment; a state is "triggered on" when statutory formulas (based on insured unemployment and/or total unemployment measures over specified weeks) exceed thresholds so EB becomes payable in that state.
UCFE (Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees) covers former civilian federal workers; UCX (Unemployment Compensation for Ex‑Service Members) covers recently separated veterans—both are federally administered programs counted separately in the weekly claims statistics.
Weekly numbers are revised because states send late or corrected filings and because BLS/ETA update seasonal factors and incorporate additional state data; large revisions occur when many states submit corrections late, there are reporting lags after holidays or system changes, or when seasonal‑factor updates alter adjusted series.
The 4‑week moving average smooths weekly volatility by averaging four weeks of initial claims, so it better shows short‑term trends; a single‑week number can spike or dip for one‑off events, while the 4‑week average reduces noise and is less sensitive to reporting quirks.