The US four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance last week fell by 3,750 to a total of 302,250 from the previous week’s upwardly revised average of 306,000, 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 7 fell by 36,000 to a total of 289,000 from the previous week’s upwardly revised figure of 325,000.

Bloomberg reports the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week to a three-week low, indicating the elevated readings in previous weeks may have been due to companies temporarily dismissing workers because of inclement winter weather, rather than underlying weakness in the labor market. Claims fell short of the median forecast of 49 economists, which called for 305,000 claims.

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