In the week ended Oct. 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 308,000, a decrease of 12,000, or 4% from the previous week's revised figure of 320,000. The four-week moving average was 310,250, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 313,250.

In the week ended Sept. 29, the most recent state numbers, Michigan posted the largest increase in initial claims, up 4,432, followed by Ohio at 1,996 and Indiana at 1,928. All three states cited layoffs in the auto industry. Indiana also cited layoffs in other industries.