Unemployment-claims data signal job gains are near

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government report Thursday on claims for unemployment aid signaled that layoffs are easing and that the economy could be on the verge of posting the first monthly gain in jobs in two years.

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits for the first time barely rose last week, after falling to its lowest level since July 2008 the previous week. And the four-week average of claims fell for the 18th straight week to 450,250. That figure has reached its lowest point since September 2008, when the financial crisis intensified with the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

The four-week average of first-time claims is nearing the roughly 425,000 that many economists say would be a sign the economy will start creating jobs.

The Labor Department will issue a more comprehensive snapshot of the job market on Friday, when it releases the monthly jobs report for December. Economists forecast that the unemployment rate will rise to 10.1 percent from 10 percent and that employers will have shed 8,000 jobs.

Still, the steady drop in first-time unemployment claims, and other signs of economic improvement, have led some analysts to predict slight job growth for December. If so, it would be the first net increase in jobs in two years.