hiring outlook

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits was unchanged last week at 370,000, a number low enough to suggest steady gains in the job market. Applications for benefits are near the lowest levels in four years.

U.S. stock futures are higher with the government reporting that weekly jobless claims edged downward last week, suggesting that employers may accelerate hiring this month.

Slightly more people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week. But the overall initial jobless claims level stayed near last week's rate, which was the lowest in four years -- and low enough to suggest the job market is strengthening.

The U.S. economy has suddenly shifted into a higher gear, and "help wanted" signs are popping up at many more companies. That's great news for the whole staffing industry, but these four firms could benefit more than most.

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.

A burst of hiring in December pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in nearly three years, giving the economy a boost at the end of 2011. The Labor Department said Friday that employers added a net 200,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest since February 2009. The rate has dropped for four straight months.

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.

Two-thirds of chief executives of the largest U.S. companies don't plan to hire in the next six months, mainly because of sluggish growth in the United States and financial turmoil in Europe. The Business Roundtable says that about one-third of its member CEOs expect to add employees and spend more on large equipment in the next six months.

As President Obama took part in his first-ever Twitter-facilitated town hall, jobs and the economy were high on the agenda. In line with those themes, the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute held a little get-together of its own to outline 10 key facts about the recovery and what's really wrong with the economy.

The unemployment rate fell last month in 39 states, evidence that companies are feeling more confident about the U.S. economy. Nationally, businesses have added more than 250,000 jobs per month, on average, in the past three months -- their fastest hiring spree in five years.