US-EMPLOYMENT-LABOR

A woman balances a load of recyclable cans and bottles she collected from trash cans to sell in New York's borough of downtown Manhattan on January 30, 2105. New claims for US unemployment insurance benefits plunged to the lowest level in nearly 15 years last week, the Labor Department reported January 29, 2015. Initial jobless claims, a sign of the pace of layoffs, dropped to a seasonally adjusted 265,000 in the week ending January 24, a hefty decline of 43,000 from the prior week's slightly upwardly revised level of 308,000. It was the lowest level for initial claims since mid-April 2000. The decline in claims was much steeper than expected, with analysts projecting a reading of 301,000.The Labor Department said there was no particular factor influencing the current week's claims data. AFP PHOTO/JEWEL SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)