In the week ending January 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 294,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 298,000. The 4 - week moving a verage was 290,500, a decrease of 250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 290,750. There were no special factors impacting this week's initial claims. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.8 percent for the week ending December 27, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending December 27 was ... (full story)