Washington, Jumada I 15, 1439, Feb 1, 2018, SPA -- The number of people filing initial applications for U.S. state unemployment benefits fell slightly last week, the government reported Thursday, pointing to a tightening labor market and strengthening economy at the start of the year. The Labor Department said jobless claims fell 1,000 to 230,000 last week, which was the 152nd consecutive week that claims remained below 300,000, a level associated with a strengthening labor market. The four-week moving average of jobless claims - a better gauge of labor-market trends because it smoothes weekly volatility - fell 5,000 to 234,500, the lowest level since early November. The claims data has no bearing on the January job-creation report to be released Friday. Economists expect non-farm payrolls rose by 180,000 jobs last month after increasing by 148,000 in December. Some economists expect the unemployment rate, currently at a 17-year low of 4.1 percent, to decline to 4 percent in January. U.S. job creation has slowed over the past year as the economy nears full employment. --SPA 20:39 LOCAL TIME 17:39 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w601504