WASHINGTON, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The number of initial jobless claims in the United States rose slightly, according to a report released by the U.S. Labor Department on Thursday.

In the week ending May 25, the number of people filing for U.S. unemployment benefits rose by 3,000 to 215,000. Meanwhile, the previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 to 212,000.

The report also showed that four-week moving average of initial claims, a method to iron out data volatility, dropped by 3,750 to 216,750. Meanwhile, the previous week's number was revised up by 250 to 220,500.

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 U.S. labor market, American employers added a better-than-expected 263,000 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate dropped to 3.6 percent, the lowest level since December 1969, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported early this month.