US initial jobless claims fall by 17,000

ANKARA

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims last week fell by 17,000 to 232,000, the US Labor Department said Thursday.

The previous week’s level was revised up by 1,000 from 248,000 to 249,000, read a statement.

The four-week moving average was 236,250, a decrease of 7,250 from the previous week’s revised average, it added.

The US economy added 467,000 jobs in January, but the unemployment rate rose to 4% last month, from 3.9% in December 2021, according to the department’s latest figures.