In the week ending May 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 274,000, an increase of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 264,000. The 4-week moving average was 266,250, a decrease of 5,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 271,750. This is the lowest level for this average since April 15, 2000 when it was 266,250. There were no special factors impacting this week's initial claims. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.6 percent for the week ending May 9, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the previous week's unrevised rate. The ... (full story)