Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Decrease

The DOL reports on weekly unemployment insurance claims:

In the week ending March 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 439,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 445,000. The 4-week moving average was 447,250, a decrease of 6,750 from the previous week’s revised average of 454,000.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending March 20 was 4,662,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 4,668,000.

Click on graph for larger image in new window.

This graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.

The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims decreased this week by 6,750 to 447,250.

The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The current level of 439,000 (and 4-week average of 447,250) is still high, and suggests continuing weakness in the jobs market. Note: There is no way to compare directly between weekly claims, and net payrolls jobs.