by Calculated Risk on 4/19/2012 08:30:00 AM

The DOL reports:

In the week ending April 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 386,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 388,000. The 4-week moving average was 374,750, an increase of 5,500 from the previous week's revised average of 369,250.

The previous week was revised up to 388,000 from 380,000. Claims for two weeks ago were revised down.

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 to 374,750.

This is the highest level for the 4-week moving average since January.

And here is a long term graph of weekly claims:



The recent upward increase in claims isn't large, but it is concerning.

All current Employment Graphs