(Deletes incorrect historical reference for continued claims in last paragraph)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of workers filing new applications for jobless benefits fell last week to the lowest level in more than 15 months, according to government data on Thursday.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 28,000 to a seasonally adjusted 452,000 in the week ended December 19, from 480,000 in the prior week, the Labor Department said.
That was the lowest tally since the week of September 6, 2008, which was only days before the bankruptcy of investment bank Lehman Brothers ushered in a deeper recession.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected a more modest decline from the 480,000 reported for the prior week.
The number of people still filing for benefits after an initial week of aid fell to 5.076 million in the week ended December 12 from the previous week's 5.203 million.
(Reporting by Emily Kaiser, Editing by Neil Stempleman)
Jobless claims fall in latest week
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