Jobs, Unemployment Benefits | featured news

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits plummeted last week to 352,000, the fewest since April 2008. The decline added to evidence that the job market is strengthening.

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell further last week, ending the year on a three-month run of declines that point to stronger hiring in 2012. Weekly applications dropped by 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 372,000 last week, the Labor Department said. That’s 11 percent lower than the same time last year and a positive sign ahead of Friday’s important read on December job growth.

The outlook for American jobs and trade looked a little brighter Thursday, despite growing uncertainty overseas. The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week fell to a seasonally adjusted 390,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That's the fewest since April.

The jobs crisis has left so many people out of work for so long that most of America's unemployed are no longer receiving unemployment benefits....

Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, a hopeful sign that the job market might be picking up.

Americans filed fewer new claims for jobless benefits last week, data showed on Thursday, offering a glimmer of hope for the beleaguered labor market.

Private businesses added a stronger number of jobs in June than expected, according to ADP, while new claims for jobless benefits fell last week.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, according to a report on Thursday that could reinforce fears the labor market recovery has stalled.

More people applied for unemployment benefits last week, the first increase in three weeks and evidence that the job market is still sluggish.

The number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell sharply for the second straight week, suggesting the job market is slowly recovering.