AlQa'dah 11, 1433, Sep 27, 2012, SPA -- The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week to the lowest level in two months, a hopeful sign for a labor market that has struggled to strengthen in recent months, a government report showed on Thursday. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 26,000 to 359,000, the lowest level since July, the Labor Department said. The previous week's figure was revised up to show 3,000 more applications than previously reported. Economists had forecast claims falling to 378,000 last week. The four-week moving average for new claims, a better measure of labor market trends, fell 4,500 to 374,000, breaking five consecutive weeks of increases. A Labor Department official said there were no special factors influencing the report and no states had been estimated. The unemployment rate has been above 8 percent for more than three years. The claims report showed the number of people still receiving benefits under regular state programs after an initial week of aid fell 4,000 to 3.27 million in the week ended September 15.
