UnemploymentClaims

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. Applications fell 50,000, the biggest drop in the seasonally adjusted figure in more than six years, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Far fewer people are seeking unemployment benefits than just three months ago %u2014 a sign that layoffs are falling sharply. The number of people applying for benefits fell last week to 366,000, the fewest since May 2008. If the number stayed that low consistently, it would likely signal that hiring is strong enough to lower unemployment.

Only 631,000 Americans filed first-time unemployment claims last week. I say "only" because that's fewer than the 645,000 who filed claims the week before. I should know: I'm one of them. I filled out an application today through Florida's Agency for Workforce Innovation website. It asked me for...

If you live in the West, you may already know this fact, if not being familiar with its effects: The West had the highest number of initial claims for unemployment insurance due to mass layoffs in February. The West had 65,792 initial claims, followed by the Midwest with 64,973, the South with...