unemployment rate

The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits fell to a four-year low last week, suggesting employers kept hiring in March at a healthy pace. Weekly applications dropped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 357,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Employers went on a hiring spree in January and drove down the unemployment rate for a fifth straight month to 8.3 percent, its lowest point in nearly three years. The result pointed to a resurgent job market, and it sent stock futures surging. The Dow Jones industrial average futures, which were flat before the report, jumped 95 points.

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.

Stocks are opening slightly lower despite a government report that the unemployment rate dropped in December to the lowest level in nearly three years. The Labor Department said early Friday that the unemployment rate fell last month to 8.5%, while U.S. employers added a net 200,000 jobs.

Unemployment rates fell in 43 states in November, reflecting a modest pickup in the nation's job market. Nationally, the unemployment rate dropped in November to 8.6%, the lowest since March 2009.

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.

Unemployment among recent college grads is at 9.3% -- but not for every major. The good news is, you can follow your skills and passions and still find a job. The highest-unemployment majors are often related to options that use the same skills, but offer much better odds of a job.

The unemployment rate fell last month to its lowest level in more than two and a half years, as employers stepped up hiring in response to the slowly improving economy. The Labor Department says the unemployment rate dropped sharply to 8.6 percent last month, down from 9 percent in October. The rate hasn't been that low since March 2009.

Many of you reached out to Daily Finance earlier this week, after we ran a report on long-term unemployment's impact on older workers. Readers shared stories of careers terminated, benefits exhausted, and savings consumed. Today's news about slight improvements in the unemployment rate bring little relief.

Hiring slowed in October as employers faced more uncertainty over future economic growth. The Labor Department says the economy added 80,000 jobs last month, the fewest in four months and below September's revised total of 158,000. The unemployment rate dipped to 9%.