The U.S. four-week moving average of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 2,500 in the week ended June 15 to a level of 348,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 345,750, 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 rose 18,000 to 354,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 336,000.