(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Associated Press | New claims for unemployment benefits dipped for the fourth straight
week, a sign the job market is improving at a slow but steady pace. Employers, encouraged by a recovering economy, are hiring
again. But they are not doing it at the level needed to reduce the
jobless rate.

The Labor Department said Thursday
that initial claims dropped last week by 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted
444,000. That’s slightly above analysts’ estimates, according to Thomson
Reuters. The previous week’s total was revised up to 448,000.

Get the full story: New claims for unemployment benefits drop.