Applications for US unemployment benefits fall sharply

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits fell sharply last week, a sign that strong hiring will likely continue.

Weekly applications for unemployment aid dropped 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 289,000, the Labor Department said today. The drop nearly reversed a large increase from last month, which likely occurred because of cold weather and snowstorms.

The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell 3,750 to 302,250. The average has dropped nearly 9 percent in the past year.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs. The decline indicates companies are confident enough to hold onto their staffs and hire more workers.

Weekly applications had risen by 40,000 last month. Economists blamed most of that rise on harsh winter weather that closed schools and shut down construction sites, causing temporary layoffs.

The economy has faltered a bit in recent months, growing much more slowly than the 4.8 percent annual rate that it reached last spring and summer. Growth was just 2.2 percent in final three months of last year, and many economists expect similarly modest growth in the first three months of this year.