First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week ending Feb. 23, increased from the previous week's total.
The state labor department figures released Friday show the initial claims increased to 2,918 from the previous week's total of 2,426. Initial claims were below the comparable week a year earlier at 2,664.
The four-week moving average, which is a less volatile measure of claims, increased to 2,825 from the previous week's total of 2,821.