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Weekly jobless claims show lowest total since November

The week ending Jan. 30 showed a total claim count of 779,000, the lowest seen in two months. The total was a healthy drop from the previous week’s number, though the number of those receiving benefits remains elevated.

In the week ending January 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 779,000, a decrease of 33,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised down by 35,000 from 847,000 to 812,000.

The 4-week moving average was 848,250, a decrease of 1,250 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised down by 18,500 from 868,000 to 849,500. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.2 percent for the week ending January 23, a decrease of 0.2 percentage point from the previous week’s unrevised rate.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending January 23 was 4,592,000, a decrease of 193,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up 14,000 from 4,771,000 to 4,785,000.

The 4-week moving average was 4,881,750, a decrease of 120,000 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 3,750 from 4,998,000 to 5,001,750.