By Mucahithan Avcioglu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The number of Americans filing first-time jobless claims rose by 22,000 last week to 242,000, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday.
That marked the highest level of initial claims since Dec. 12, 2024, when it was 242,000.
The figure was above the market estimates of 222,000 and the previous week's upwardly revised figure of 220,000.
The four-week moving average was 224,000, an increase of 8,500 from the previous week's revised average of 215,500.
The US economy added 143,000 jobs in January, falling short of the forecast of 169,000.
The unemployment rate was at 4% in January, beating estimates of 4.1%.