The US four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to 266,750 last week, up 3,500 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 April 2 were 267,000, down 9,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level. This marks 57 consecutive weeks of initial claims below 300,000, the longest streak since 1973.

No special factors affected this week’s initial claims.

Bloomberg reported the decline in initial claims illustrates a healthy labor market that’s allowing workers to feel more secure in their jobs. Initial claims fell more than the median forecast in its survey of economists, which called for initial claims to fall to 270,000.

“Employers are not only retaining workers but also looking to hire more,” Jacob Oubina, a senior US economist at RBC Capital Markets LLC in New York, who correctly projected claims, told Bloomberg. “The job market remains healthy.”