In the week ending March 14, initial claims for unemployment insurance edged up to 291,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's upwardly revised level of 290,000 (from 289,000). The four-week moving average, a less volatile gauge of underlying labor market conditions, also rose to 305,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's upwardly revised level of 303,000 (from 302,000). This week's figures continue to signal an economy with a strengthening labor market.
