In the week ending August 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 298,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 311,000 to 312,000. The 4 - week moving average was 300,750, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 295,750 to 296,000. There were no special factors impacting this week's initial claims. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.9 per cent for the week ending August 9, unchanged from the previous week's ... (full story)