Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims increase to 397,000

The DOL reports on weekly unemployment insurance claims:

In the week ending March 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 397,000, an increase of 26,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 371,000. The 4-week moving average was 392,250, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 389,250.

Click on graph for larger image in graph gallery.

This graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims for the last 40 years. The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims increased this week by 3,000 to 392,250.

The 4-week average is still below the 400,000 level, and although there is nothing magical about 400,000 - staying below that level is a good sign for the labor market.