On Thursday, the US Department of Labor said that first-time applications for government unemployment benefits rose by 21,000 to 211,000 after adjusting for seasonal factors for the week ending March 4.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected 195,000 applications in the last week.
The number of Americans who filed new applications for unemployment benefits fell a week ago, reflecting the continued strength of the labor market, which may push the US Federal Reserve to continue raising interest rates.
And the US Department of Labor said, in early March, that government jobless claims filed for the first time fell by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted level of 190,000 for the week ending February 25.
It was the seventh consecutive week that claims have remained below 200,000.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected 195,000 applications for that week.
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