The U.S. four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 8,500 in the week ended Dec. 28 to 357,250 from the previous week’s revised figure of 348,750, 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 fell by 2,000 to a total of 339,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 341,000.