Initial jobless claims in the United States for the week ending April 19 increased by 6,000 from the previous week to 222,000, according to the weekly report by the Department of Labor on Thursday. The 4-week moving average was 220,250, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's revised average.
The insured unemployment rate was 1.2% for the week ending April 12, unchanged from the week before, with the total of insured unemployed people rising by 37,000 from the previous week to 1,841,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,864,000, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average.
