The advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 478,000 for the week ended Oct. 4, down 20,000, or 4.0% from the previous week's revised figure of 498,000, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The effects of hurricanes Gustav and Ike added approximately 17,000 claims, according to the department.

The four-week moving average of initial jobless claims was 482,500, an increase of 8,250, or 1.7%, from the previous week's revised average of 474,250.