Initial jobless claims fall to 2 1/2-year low

Applications for jobless benefits decreased by 36,000, more than forecast, to 383,000 in the week ended Feb. 4, Labor Department figures showed yesterday. Economists had forecast claims would fall to 410,000, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey.

The total number of people receiving unemployment insurance fell, while those collecting extended payments increased.

A slowdown in firings means companies may begin creating enough jobs to keep unemployment going down after the rate’s biggest two-month decline since 1958. Federal Reserve chairman Ben S. Bernanke on Wednesday said the jobless rate will probably stay high “for some time.’’

“The labor market is improving,’’ said Brian Jones, an economist at Societe Generale in New York who projected claims would drop to 385,000. “Fingers crossed, if the weather can hold off this week, we should get a pretty decent snap back in nonfarm payrolls and maybe another drop in the jobless rate.’’

Estimates in the Bloomberg News survey of 51 economists ranged from 385,000 to 450,000.

The number of people continuing to collect jobless benefits fell by 47,000 in the week ended Jan. 29 to 3.89 million. Economists had forecast the number would decline to 3.9 million. Figures for continuing claims do not include the number of workers receiving extended benefits under federal programs.

Those who have used up their traditional benefits and are now collecting emergency and extended payments increased by 84,000 to 4.64 million in the week ended Jan. 22.

Eighteen states and territories reported an increase in claims, while 35 had a decrease.

Initial jobless claims reflect weekly firings and tend to fall as job growth — measured by the monthly nonfarm payrolls report — accelerates.

Awaiting signs of sustained job creation, central bank policy makers are likely to keep interest rates near zero and press ahead with plans to buy $600 billion in Treasury securities to boost the pace of recovery.

Earlier this week a Labor Department report showed job openings decreased by 139,000 to 3.06 million, the fewest since September. The number of people hired also dropped along with the number of workers fired.

Employers added a fewer-than-forecast 36,000 jobs to payrolls in January as the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 9 percent, the lowest since April 2009.

Bernanke told the House Budget Committee that while the declines in the jobless rate in December and January “do provide some grounds for optimism,’’ companies need to hire more to reduce joblessness.