WASHINGTON (April 21, 2016) — Advance figures for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment insurance claims totaled 247,000 for the week ended April 16, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor.
This was the lowest weekly figure for initial claims since Nov. 24, 1973, the agency said in an April 21 press release. The total on that date was 233,000.
Initial unemployment claims have been under 300,000 for the past 59 weeks — the longest streak since 1973, the agency said.
The April 16 figure was 6,000 under the total of 253,000 for the week ended April 9, according to the Labor Department. The four-week moving average for claims was 260,500, a decrease of 4,500 from the previous week's total of 265,000.