The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. rose more than expected last week, while the previous week’s figure was also revised higher.
The U.S. Department of Labor said that the number of individuals applying for initial jobless benefits in the week to Feb. 9 increased to a seasonally adjusted 239,000.
Analysts expected jobless claims to decrease to 225,000 from the previous week’s revised total of 235,000.
The four-week moving average was 231,750, an increase of 6,750 from the previous week. The monthly average is seen as a more accurate gauge of labor trends because it reduces volatility in the week-to-week data.
Continuing jobless rose to 1.773 million from 1.736 million in the preceding week, compared to expectations for an increase to 1.740 million. These claims reflect people who recently lost their jobs and are already receiving benefits.
