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Unemployment benefit applications drop sharply

WASHINGTON  — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell to its lowest point in more than two years, a positive sign that the job market is slowly improving.

Applications dropped by 34,000 to 388,000, the fewest since July 2008, the Labor Department said Thursday. The level of applications has either fallen or remained unchanged in five of the past six weeks.

Unemployment applications below 425,000 signal modest job growth. But economists say applications need to fall consistently to 375,000 or below to indicate a significant decline in unemployment. Applications for unemployment benefits peaked during the recession at 651,000 in March 2009.

The level of applications can be particularly volatile during the holidays. But a department analyst said there were no unusual factors affecting the report.

Applications are a real-time snapshot of the job market. If they continue to move down, hiring is more likely to pick up. They reflect the level of layoffs but can also indicate whether companies are willing to add workers.

The four-week average, a less-volatile measure, dropped by 12,500 to 414,000 in the week ending Dec. 25. That's the lowest level since late July 2008.

For most of the year applications hovered around 450,000 before dropping below that number in November. The four-week average has fallen by more than 40,000 in the past two months — a sign that hiring could accelerate in the coming months.

Employers added a net total of only 39,000 jobs in November, the Labor Department said earlier this month, and the unemployment rose to 9.8 percent.

Most economists expect the December jobs report will show larger job gains. The report comes out on Jan. 7.

The total number of people receiving unemployment benefits rose in the week ending Dec. 18 to 4.13 million.

That doesn't include millions of unemployed workers receiving extended benefits under an emergency program set up during the recession. About 4.5 million people are receiving extended benefits for up to 99 weeks. All told, nearly 8.9 million people obtained unemployment benefits in the week ending Dec. 11, the latest data available.

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