In the week ending December 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 222,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 234,000 to 235,000. The 4-week moving average was 228,000, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 225,500 to 225,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2 percent for the week ending December 14, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending December 14 was 1,719,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up 3,000 from 1,722,000 to 1,725,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,703,500, an increase of 19,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 750 from 1,683,500 to 1,684,250.