Applications for US unemployment aid down to 294,000 last week; evidence of robust economy

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FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2014 file photo, job seekers fill out a job applications at a Bed Bath and Beyond table at a job fair in Miami Lakes, Fla. The U.S. Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits for the week ending Jan. 3, 2015 on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)

WASHINGTON – Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that employers expect ongoing economic growth and the need to hold onto workers.

The Labor Department says applications for unemployment benefits fell 4,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 294,000.

The four-week average, a less volatile measure, slipped 250 to 290,500. That average has plunged 16 per cent in the past 12 months, as averages have stayed at historically low sub-300,000 levels since September.

In the monthly jobs report being released Friday, employers are expected to have added 243,000 jobs in December, according to a survey of economists by data firm FactSet. That would follow job gains of 321,000 in November and put total job growth in 2014 at just shy of 3 million, the best performance since 1999.

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