Unemployment applications drop unexpectedly

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The number of laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in seven weeks, an unexpected sign of improvement for the jobs market.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications for unemployment benefits totaled 311,000 last week, a drop of 9,000 from the previous week. It marked the lowest level for jobless claims since July 28.

The decline came as a surprise for economists who had been forecasting a rise in claims of around 6,000.

Perhaps its because some people, like me, have no idea how to apply for unemployment or welfare benefits. Or perhaps its because businesses, like the one I used to work for, threaten to take people to court to fight the unemployment claims and argue that the claimees weren't doing their jobs and failed to meet benchmarks. It didn't matter how hard someone worked, they still were lazy bums when it came to unemployment court fights.