The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits has reached a five-month high, according to data released by the U.S. Labor Department on Thursday, with initial unemployment claims rising to a seasonally adjusted figure of 242,000 for the week ending Feb 22. This increase exceeds economists' expectations and is likely attributable to severe winter weather conditions in the Midwest and Northeast regions, as well as the Presidents' Day holiday leaving some temporarily without work. The figures do not encompass mass layoffs of federal employees. Meanwhile, the country's broader labor market remains stable, with historically low levels of layoffs continuing to support economic growth, but concerns are mounting regarding potential job losses associated with federal spending cuts and the impacts of tariffs, which could potentially drive unemployment claims higher in the coming weeks. SHOTLIST: FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Date Unknown 1. Various of Capitol building, U.S. national flag; FILE: Washington D.C., USA - November 2019 2. U.S. Treasury Department building; FILE: USA - Date and Location Unknown 3. Various of U.S. dollar notes being counted; FILE: New York City, USA - Date Unknown 4. Pedestrians; FILE: Washington D.C., USA - June 2022 5. Various of citizen drawing money from ATM; 6. Traffic in front of Chase Bank; 7. Resident using smartphone in park; FILE: Houston, Texas, USA - Nov 25, 2021 8. Various of shoppers choosing goods, paying in supermarkets; FILE: New York City, USA - Oct 2021 9. Goods on shelves in supermarket; FILE: Los Angeles, California, USA - Oct 21, 2021 10. Goods on shelves in supermarket; FILE: Virginia, USA - May 19, 2022 11. Shoppers making payments in supermarket; 12. Shoppers choosing goods in supermarket. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]