The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits totaled 248,000 in the week ending May 27, according to data from the Department of Labor.
The number of jobless claims increased from the previous week by 13,000, and the monthly moving average of jobless claims was 238,000, which was up by 2,500 claims.
The number of claims was more than expected, as economists predicted that jobless claims would increase to 239,000.
The department reports the insured unemployment rate at 1.4 percent, which was unchanged from the previous week.
"It was the 117th straight week that claims were below 300,000, a threshold associated with a healthy labor market," CNBC reported. "That is the longest such stretch since 1970, when the labor market was smaller. The labor market is near full employment, with the jobless rate at a 10-year low of 4.4 percent."
In addition, economists also project that labor data out tomorrow will show that payrolls will increase by 185,000 and the unemployment rate will remain unchanged at 4.4 percent.
"Thursday's claims report also showed the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid fell 9,000 to 1.92 million in the week ended May 20," the article said. "The so-called continuing claims now have been below 2 million for seven straight weeks, pointing to shrinking labor market slack."