US initial jobless claims rise 12,000 last week, above expectations

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims rose by 12,000 last week to 211,000, according to the US Labor Department data released on Thursday.

The figure exceeded market expectations of 205,000 for last week, following the previous week’s downwardly revised 199,000.

The four-week moving average was 203,750, which was an increase of 750 from the previous week’s downwardly revised 203,000.

The US economy added 115,000 jobs in April, a figure much higher than expectations of a 65,000 gain.

The unemployment rate was at 4.3% in April, unchanged from March.