ANKARA

The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims last week rose by 18,000 to 185,000, the US Labor Department announced on Thursday.

The figure was higher than the market estimate of 171,000.

The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 166,000 to 167,000, the department said in a statement.

The four-week moving average was 172,250, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average.

The US economy generated 431,000 jobs in March, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.6%, according to the latest figures.