Washington: The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims rose 16,000 last week to 219,000, according to the US Labor Department data released on Thursday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the figure exceeded market expectations of 210,000 for last week, following the previous week’s upwardly revised 203,000. The four-week moving average was 209,500, marking an increase of 1,500 from the previous week’s upwardly revised 208,000.

In a broader context, the US economy added 178,000 jobs in March, significantly surpassing expectations of a 65,000 gain. The unemployment rate also saw a decrease, falling to 4.3% in March from 4.4% in February.