The number of laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits in the United States fell last week to the lowest level in nearly two months. The U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications for unemployment benefits totaled 308,000 last week, down 12,000 from the previous week, The Associated PRess reported. The improvement was better than the decline of around 3,000 that many analysts were expecting and showed that the labor market remained in good shape despite troubles in the housing industry.
