US jobless claims rise to 4,73,000

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits climbed 31,000 to 4,73,000 for the week ended February 13, indicating that the labour market is yet to recovery fully.

"In the week ending February 13, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 4,73,000, an increase of 31,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 4,42,000," the US Labour Department said in a statement today.

However, the four-week moving average of such claims came down to 4,67,500 as compared to the previous week's figure of 4,69,000.

Battered by the financial meltdown, the country has seen millions of job losses, as companies slashed their workforce to bring down costs.

Meanwhile, the count of people receiving jobless benefits stood at 45,63,000 for the week ended February 6, unchanged from the preceding week.

"The four-week moving average was 45,85,750, a decrease of 24,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 46,09,750," the statement noted.