The number of people filing initial applications for
unemployment benefits fell by 23,000 last week to 3,81,000, the US Labor Department said on Thursday.
Economists regard a claims figure of less than 4,00,000 as indicative of improvement.
The rolling four-week average of new claims, viewed as a better gauge of underlying trends, declined by 3,000 to 3,93,250.
Spain jobless rate may rise to 23% Last week's total of new applications was the smallest in nine months, while the four-week average is at its lowest point since April.
The week ending November 26 also saw the number of people receiving state unemployment benefits decline by 1,74,000 to 3.58 million, the fewest since September 2008, according to the Labor Department report.
Unemployment rate rise in France in Oct For the week ended November 19, 3.31 million people were getting special federal jobless benefits, a decline of 211,600 from the previous week.
The Labor Department's November jobs report, released last Friday, showed the unemployment rate dropping from 9 per cent to 8.6 per cent as the economy added 120,000 net new jobs.
The jobless rate now stands at its lowest level in two-and-a-half years, dipping below 9 per cent for the first time since March.
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