by Calculated Risk on 11/17/2011 08:30:00 AM

The DOL reports:

In the week ending November 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 388,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 393,000. The 4-week moving average was 396,750, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised average of 400,750.

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 decreased this week to 396,750.

This is the lowest level for the 4 week average since early April - although this is still elevated.

And here is a long term graph of weekly claims:



All current Employment Graphs