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Jobless claims average edges down, total claims fall 4,000

January 08, 2015

The US four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance last week edged down by 250 to a total of 290,500 from the previous week’s unrevised average of 290,750, 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 Jan. 3 fell by 4,000 to a total of 294,000 from the previous week’s unrevised figure of 298,000.

Bloomberg reports employers are probably holding on to workers hired during the holidays and the need to keep staff may mean companies will soon need to also boost wages.

No special factors impacted this week’s initial claims, according to the Department of Labor.