The number of Americans filing first-time unemployment claims rose 1,000 last week to 218,000, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday.
The figure came below market forecasts of 222,000 and was slightly up from the previous week's unrevised level of 217,000.
The four-week moving average was 221,000—a fall of 3,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 224,500.
In June, the US economy added 147,000 jobs, higher than forecasts of 111,000.
The unemployment rate fell to 4.1% in June from 4.2% in May, below market estimates.
