The advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 329,000 in the week ending April 19, which produced a four-week moving average of 316,750, an increase of 4,750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 312,000. Though claims increased, they remain at prerecession levels, pointing to continued improvement in the labor market. Another positive sign from the release involved the number of people receiving unemployment insurance, which has fallen to a level not seen since December 2007.
