By Tuba Ongun
The number of Americans filing first-time jobless claims plunged 22,000 last week to 220,000, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.
The figure was below estimates of 229,000 and the previous week's unrevised figure of 242,000.
The four-week moving average was 225,500, a 1,250 hike from the previous week's unrevised average of 224,250.
The US economy added 227,000 jobs in November, up from a revised 36,000 jobs in October.