Initial unemployment claims down

Initial unemployment claims fell by 2,000 to land at 339,000 nationwide for the week ending Dec. 28, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor. 

The national unemployment rate fell three-tenths of a point to 7 percent in November, its lowest point in five years, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. The December national unemployment rate has not yet been released.

Locally, the Springfield metropolitan statistical area unemployment rate fell three-tenths of a point in October to 4.7 percent, the second-lowest rate among the eight Missouri metro areas measured by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to the DOL, the total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending Dec. 14 exceeded 4.45 million, an increase of 179,532 from the previous week. However, total benefits claims are down 17 percent, from 5.4 million, during the same time frame in 2012.