The US four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to 223,750 last week, up 2,250 from the previous week’s unrevised average, the US Department of Labor reported.

The four-week moving average decreases the volatility of the weekly numbers. Total initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week ended March 17 rose to 229,000, up 3,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level.

Claims-taking procedures in Puerto Rico and in the Virgin Islands have still not returned to normal.

MarketWatch reported initial US jobless claims remain near the lowest levels since 1970, and the number of people collecting benefits fell to a fresh 45-year low. Its poll of economists had forecast claims to fall to 225,000.