by Calculated Risk on 10/27/2011 08:51:00 AM

The DOL reports:

In the week ending October 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 402,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 404,000. The 4-week moving average was 405,500, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average of 403,750.

The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since January 2000:


Click on graph for larger image.

The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims increased this week to 405,500.

This is down from September, but still elevated - and still above the post-recession lows of earlier this year.

The next graph shows the 4-week average since 1971: