New applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. increased by 7,000 last week to 265,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Analysts expected initial claims to reach around 270,000 last week, meaning that the latest figures remain at healthy levels. 

The rolling four-week average of claims, a more reliable indicator of trends in the labor market, increased last week by 750 to 268,000, the report said.

The four-week average has been below or just slightly above 300,000 since March 2015.

The number of people receiving unemployment benefits increased by 8,000 to 2.24 million in the week ending March 5.

Unemployment remained unchanged at 4.9 percent in February, a month in which a better-than-expected 242,000 new jobs were created.