Initial unemployment insurance claims in the US declined to a 14-month low last week, new government data has revealed.

The Labor Department disclosed that first-time claims for jobless benefits fell by 35,000 cases to 466,000 in the week ending November 21st, which is less than the 500,000 predicted by analysts.

In addition, the public agency also revealed that labor market members withdrawing unemployment insurance declined in the week ending November 14th by 190,000 to 5.42 million individuals.

Michael Bratus of Moody's economy.com suggested that increasingly confident businesses are laying-off fewer workers in the US.

He told AFP: "The continued improvement in initial claims bodes well for a more positive non-farm payrolls report in November."

Earlier this week, the National Association of Business Economics claimed that the US economic recovery will not remain jobless for the foreseeable future - with net employment gains expected soon.