In the week ending August 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 277,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 274,000 to 273,000. The 4-week moving average was 271,500, an increase of 5,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 250 from 266,250 to 266,000. There were no special factors impacting this week's initial claims. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.7 percent for the week ending August 8, unchanged from the previous week's ... (full story)