WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits last week bounced back from the previous week, the U.S. Department of Labor said in a report on Thursday.
In the week ending Feb. 9, initial claims for unemployment benefits rose by 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 239,000. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 to 235,000.
The report also showed that four-week average grew 6,750 to 231,750 last week, the highest level since late January 2018.
The initial claims for unemployment benefits filed by federal employees totaled 1,116 in the week ending Feb. 2, down by 5,553 from the prior week, reaching the normal level. Federal employees file jobless claims under a separate program, and the figure is reported with a one-week lag.
The 35-day partial government shutdown, which ended late January, had pushed up the figure significantly in previous weeks. The initial claims for unemployment benefits filed by federal employees totaled 25,419 in the week ending Jan. 12, compared with 1,658 the same week last year.
