The number of people applying for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, one week after it had fallen to the lowest level since 2008.

According to the Labor Department, 410,000 people sought unemployment assistance last week - 25,000 more than the week prior.

The previous drop in applications is linked to the bad weather across the nation which kept people from applying for benefits.

Last month, the unemployment rate had fallen to 9 percent. Even though the January percentage was the lowest in nearly a half-century, it still shows close to 14 million people out of work.

A forecast by an AP Economy Survey has predicted a total of 2.2 million new jobs will be created this year, up from 909,000 in 2010.