Applications for jobless aid rise by 6K, still at low level

The figures, released a day before the government's February report on job creation and unemployment, show the U.S. job market remains resilient in the face of economic weakness overseas and turmoil in financial markets.

The labor market remains in good health, despite the troubles in the energy and manufacturing export sectors, Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said in a report.

Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, and economists expect it will help bolster US growth this year, even as manufacturing and exports likely remain weak.