WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The number of people filing for state unemployment benefits rose for the second straight week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The number of initial claims in the week ending April 26 rose 14,000 to 344,000, which is the highest level since the end of February.

The gain came as a surprise, as the consensus forecast of Wall Street economists was for claims to fall to 320,000.

Claims had jumped 25,000 to 330,000 in the prior week but analysts had thought at least some of the gain was due to the Easter holiday and would be reversed this week.

Claims often rise around Easter because the holiday falls on different dates each year and that makes it harder for the government to conduct seasonal adjustments.

Economists said the Easter impact lasted longer than expected but the rise in claims was temporary.

“Expect a big drop next week,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

The four-week average of new claims rose 3,000 to 320,000. That’s the highest level since the week ended March 22.

Continuing claims jumped 97,000 to 2.77 million in the latest week. Continuing claims reflect the number of people already receiving benefits.

On Friday, the Labor Department will release nonfarm payroll data for April. Economists polled by MarketWatch expect 215,000 jobs were added in the month, up from 192,000 in March.

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