The US four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to 236,500 last week, up 2,250 from the previous week’s unrevised average, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the US Department of Labor.

The four-week moving average decreases the volatility of the weekly numbers. Total initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week ended March 4 rose to 243,000, up 20,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level; in the prior week, initial claims filings fell by 19,000 to a 44-year low of 223,000.

This marks 105 consecutive weeks of initial claims below 300,000, the longest streak since 1970.

No special factors affected this week’s initial claims.

Bloomberg reports applications for jobless benefits returned to a range that still shows strength in the labor market. Companies, stretching to find more skilled and experienced personnel, are holding on to existing employees and maintaining a steady pace of hiring. However, initial claims rose more than the median forecast in its survey of economists, which called for initial claims to rise to 238,000.