Applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. rose last week, with the Labor Department stating Thursday that weekly applications rose 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted figure of 272,000, according to the New York Daily News.
The number is quite consistent with economists' predictions, which expected about 270,000 new applications during this time of the year. Despite the number, the average over the past four weeks is so far still the lowest this year.
America's unemployment figures have been quite encouraging as of late, with jobless claims registering below 300,000 for almost a year. Such a streak is the longest in more than 40 years, reported NASDAQ.
In fact, 2015 alone was considered by analysts as the second-best year for job creation since 1999, when the American economy was in a much better condition.
Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James Financial Inc. in St. Petersburg, Fla., believes that the figures represent a steadying labor market that might very well get stronger in the near future, reported Bloomberg Business.
"The trend in claims is still very low. There aren't many signs of job destruction. The labor market is getting tighter," he said.
Gains in the labor market have been quite solid for the past three years, pushing the country's unemployment rate to an eight-year low of 4.9 percent. Wage gains, on the other hand, still remain below levels associated with a strong economy.
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