by Calculated Risk on 3/08/2012 08:30:00 AM

The DOL reports:

In the week ending March 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 362,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 354,000. The 4-week moving average was 355,000, an increase of 250 from the previous week's revised average of 354,750.

The previous week was revised up to 354,000 from 351,000.

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 slightly this week to 355,000.

The 4-week moving average is near the lowest level since early 2008.

And here is a long term graph of weekly claims:



All current Employment Graphs