The number of people seeking jobless benefits fell to its lowest level since early February last week. However a Labor Department spokesman says that about 50 percent of the decline is a result of the power outages from Hurricane Isabel that forced the closure of several state offices. The overall trend in seeking jobless benefits remains high suggesting that people are still having a difficult time finding work.
See "Jobless Claims Drop in Wake of Hurricane", The New York Times, September 24, 2003