The U.S. four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance fell by 4,500 in the week ended April 20 to a level of 357,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 362,000, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The four-week moving average decreases the volatility of the weekly numbers. Total initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week were 339,000, down 16,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 355,000.