In the week ending February 21, initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to 313,000—the biggest jump since December 2013—and an increase of 31,000 from the previous week's downwardly revised level of 282,000 (from 283,000). The four-week moving average, a less volatile gauge of underlying labor market conditions, also rose to 295,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 283,000. Despite increases in these figures, the overall trend in claims data continues to point to a strengthening labor market.
