By Misty Castile | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – New unemployment insurance claims in Louisiana increased for the week ending Oct. 3, while continued claims fell for the ninth consecutive week, Louisiana Works reported Friday.
Initial claims totaled 1,179, up 38, or 3.3%, from the previous week’s 1,141. Despite the weekly increase, new claims remained about 24% below the 1,559 filed during the comparable week last year.
Continued unemployment insurance weeks claimed decreased to 5,473 from 5,681 for the week ending Sept. 26, a decline of 208, or 3.7%. The total was about 34% below the 8,290 recorded during the comparable week in 2025.
Initial claims reflect new applications for unemployment benefits, while continued claims track weeks of benefits sought by people who have already filed an initial claim. The figures do not represent the state’s overall unemployment rate.
The four-week averages for both measures also declined. Those averages help smooth out fluctuations in weekly claims.
The four-week moving average of initial claims fell to 1,168 from 1,203 the previous week. The average for continued weeks claims decreased to 5,843 from 6,085.
The release did not identify industries or regions responsible for the weekly changes or provide an explanation for the nine-week decline in continued claims.
Louisiana Works said it offers in-person and online assistance to help people file and process unemployment claims. The agency also connects job seekers with American Job Centers, job fairs, training programs and apprenticeship opportunities.