Jobless Claims Fall to 358K to Kick Off February

Spencer Platt/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- After falling to the lowest level in over three years the week before, claims for unemployment benefits continued to drop in the beginning of the month, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

For the week ending Feb. 4, the number of people filing for benefits decreased by 15,000 to 358,000.  The previous week, claims stood at 373,000. The figures do not count an estimated 1.2 million who have dropped out of the work force.

The four-week average was also pushed down, falling 11,000 to 366,250.

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