Initial Jobless Claims Drop Again

Washington, DC, Dec. 27, 2012 -- Initial applications for unemployment benefits fell the week of December 22 to one of the lowest levels of the year, according to the Labor Department.

Initial jobless claims dropped by 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 350,000 in the week ended Dec. 22.

The data may have been skewed by the fact that the federal government was closed Monday and Tuesday, and many states also closed for both days.