Washington:The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits rose to 200,000 last week, marking an increase of 9,000 from the previous week, According to US Labor Department's announcement on Thursday. This figure surpassed market expectations, which had anticipated 194,000 claims.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, the previous week's claims were revised upward by 2,000, bringing the total to 191,000, up from an initial 189,000. The four-week moving average, which helps smooth out weekly fluctuations, remained steady at 195,250, although the prior week's average was adjusted upward by 500.

Continuing claims, which indicate the number of people receiving unemployment benefits after their initial claim, decreased by 20,000 to 1.697 million for the week ending October 31. The preceding week's numbers were revised downward by 1,000 to 1.717 million, and the four-week moving average for continuing claims saw a decline of 1,500, settling at 1.708 million.

The seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate held steady at 1.1% during the week ending October 31, unchanged from the previous week. Initial jobless claims are often used to gauge layoffs, whereas continuing claims provide insights into the pace at which unemployed individuals are securing new employment.

In October, the US economy added 165,000 jobs, which was significantly above the anticipated increase of 65,000 jobs. Additionally, the unemployment rate decreased to 4.1% in October, down from 4.2% in September.