In this Jan. 18, 2012 photo, job seekers line up to attend a Career Fair event in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER,AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of people seeking unemployment aid neared a four-year low last week, a positive sign that strong hiring could continue in the coming months.
The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications for unemployment benefits fell 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 358,000. That’s the second-lowest level since April 2008.
The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell to 366,250, the lowest since late April 2008.
“The encouraging U.S. employment news continues,” Jennifer Lee, an economist at BMO Capital Markets, wrote in a note to clients. The “job market started February off on a sturdy footing.”