The number of Americans claiming jobless insurance has decreased for the second consecutive week, statistics from the country's government show.

According to the latest figures from the labor department, initial claims for jobless benefits fell by 12,000 to 502,000 in the week ended November 7th 2009.

This is the lowest level the figure has been since January of this year, highlights the Wall Street Journal.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires previously predicted a drop of 2,000 claims.

Additionally, the results also indicate that the four-week moving average of claims hit its lowest in almost a year last week.

"Claims are still elevated but they're steadily declining, which suggests that the labor market is improving. Right now it's pretty slow-moving but it's heading in the right direction," commented Michelle Meyer, an economist at Barclays Capital in New York.

This news comes after the Blue Chip Economic Indicators (BCEI), which polls 52 economists for their views on a monthly basis, discovered that 52 per cent of those surveyed this week expect the US' employment situation to improve slowly over the next few years.