First Time Jobless Claims Lowest Since April

Washington, DC, Nov. 17, 2011 -- First time claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level in seven months, according to the Labor Department.

Initial claims fell by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 388,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Applications from two weeks ago were revised up to 393,000 from an original reading of 390,000.

The average of new claims over the past four weeks, meanwhile, fell by 4,000 to 396,750, also the lowest level since early April.