The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) reports decreases in both the initial and continued unemployment claims’ four-week moving average, with initial claims decreasing. The agency also prepares to host its career fairs this June as federal unemployment benefits come to an end.

“Last week, we saw a significant drop in initial claims and decreases in both the initial and continued claims’ four-week moving averages, which is a good indicator of the direction state employment is heading,” said OESC Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt. “The agency is continuing to prioritize rebuilding the workforce through our re-employment services, and we are looking forward to hosting Tulsans and Oklahoma City area job seekers at the upcoming career fairs. As federal unemployment benefits come to an end, I encourage job seekers to attend these career fairs where they will find employment opportunities from a wide variety of industries.”

The agency is hosting career fairs at the Tulsa Expo Square - River Spirit Expo on June 23 and the Oklahoma City Convention Center on June 25. OESC is also hosting a virtual career fair through the end of June to allow Oklahomans from across the state access to employment opportunities. Although not required, individuals can pre-register to attend the events at http://regpack.com/reg/oesc21. Employers can register at http://regpack.com/reg/oesc.

Claimants who filed for unemployment benefits between May 2-15 and who work two part-time jobs or one full-time job that equal 32 hours per week for six consecutive weeks are eligible for the governor’s $1,200 Return-to-Work Incentive. For more details, claimants can visit https://www.governor.ok.gov/articles/press_releases/governor-kevin-stitt--oesc-executive-director-zumw.

Weekly Unemployment Numbers for Week Ending June 5

For the file week ending June 5, the number of initial claims totaled 8,934, a decrease of 3,788 from the previous week’s level of 12,722.

For the same file week, the less volatile initial claims 4-week moving average was 9,665, a decrease of 135 from the previous week’s average of 9,800.

The number of continued claims totaled 35,797, an increase of 2,351 from the previous week’s level of 33,446.

Continued claims’ four-week moving average was 34,051, a decrease of 202 from the previous week’s average of 34,253.

Nationally, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for the week ending June 12 was 412,000 an increase of 37,000 from the previous week’s revised level, the U.S. Department of Labor reports. The four-week moving average was 395,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week’s unrevised average. For the week ending June 5, U.S. DOL reports the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.5%, unchanged 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 four-week moving average is used to assess trends.

Claimant Resources

Individuals seeking unemployment benefits should go to https://ui.ok.gov and create an account with the Get Started button to connect their social security number and pull all unemployment information into one location.

Unemployment claimants should be aware that not returning to work when recalled or when work is available could potentially lead to disqualification from receiving unemployment benefits.

Employers may report this activity by emailing returntowork@oesc.state.ok.us, calling 405-962-7524, or mailing OESC at P.O. Box 52006, Oklahoma City, OK, 73152-2006.

If a claimant returns to work full time, they should keep their unemployment claim open with OESC and not certify a weekly claim. If they return part time, a claimant may continue to certify their weekly claim and must report all gross earnings for the week to potentially receive a partial benefit. Eligibility for continued benefits is determined on the circumstances of each individual claimant.

OESC is an excellent resource for people looking to re-enter the job market by connecting Oklahomans with available employment through https://okjobmatch.com/.

If a PUA-eligible claimant reopens their business, they will still receive backdated unemployment benefits to when their COVID-19-related job loss or business closure occurred.

Claimants looking for work who need child care assistance are encouraged to use the Oklahoma Department of Human Services’ (OKDHS) 60 days of subsidized child care by visiting https://okdhslive.org/.