Weekly Jobless Claims Fall For Second Straight Week

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON -- The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell for a second week last week, suggesting labor market conditions continue to steadily improve.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Claims for the prior week were revised to show 3,000 more applications received than previously reported.