Photo: VCG

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The number of initial jobless claims in the United States increased last week, according to a report released by the U.S. Labor Department on Thursday.

In the week ending Sept. 28, the number of people filing for U.S. unemployment benefits increased by 4,000 to 219,000. Meanwhile, the previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 213,000 to 215,000.

The report also showed that the four-week moving average of initial claims, a method to iron out data volatility, remained unchanged at 212,500. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 to 212,500.

As a leading indicator of unemployment status in the United States, a lower reading in jobless claims indicates lower overall layoffs. The reading of jobless claims remained below the 300,000 threshold, signaling a tight labor market in the United States.

For a bigger picture of the U.S. labor market, U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in August, fewer than expected, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.