Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) -- The number of Americans filing first- time claims for unemployment benefits fell more than forecast, suggesting the job market remains resilient.

Initial jobless claims decreased a third straight week, by 13,000 to 317,000 in the week that ended Nov. 3, the Labor Department said today in Washington. The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, rose to 329,750 from 327,750.

Rising exports have made companies reluctant to fire workers even as a two-year housing recession and credit restrictions limit economic growth. Gains in jobs and wages may keep consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the economy, from deteriorating, economists said.

``Any major changes in hiring and firing may not be seen for a few more months,'' Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania, said before the report. ``The full impact of the housing losses on financial firms and their reactions to their lower earnings are still to be felt.''

Last week's total included almost 3,000 new filings for claims caused by job losses from the wildfires in southern California, a Labor Department spokesman said.

Treasuries slipped after the report, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year note rising to 4.32 percent at 8:35 a.m. in New York, from 4.31 percent late yesterday.

Economists' Forecast

Economists had forecast initial jobless claims would drop to 325,000 after a 327,000 level reported the prior week, according to the median estimate of 41 economists in a Bloomberg News survey. Estimates ranged from 315,000 to 350,000.

The number of people continuing to collect state unemployment benefits dropped to 2.579 million in the week that ended Oct. 27, from 2.583 million the prior week.

The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits, which tends to track the U.S. jobless rate, held at 1.9 percent. These data are reported with a one-week lag.

Thirty states and territories reported a decrease in new claims, while 23 reported an increase, the Labor report said.

Initial jobless claims reflect weekly firings and tend to rise as job growth -- measured by the monthly non-farm payrolls report -- declines.

So far this year, weekly claims have averaged 318,000, little changed from 313,000 for all of last year.

The Labor Department reported Nov. 2 that payrolls climbed by 166,000 in October, nearly doubling economists' projections, after a 96,000 increase in September. The jobless rate held at 4.7 percent, the report showed.

Consumer Spending

Employment gains are encouraging consumers to keep up their spending in the face of tougher requirements for borrowing and a drop in property values, which reduce the availability of extra cash from home equity.

Economists forecast unemployment will gradually rise as slowing demand pushes businesses to trim costs.

Manufacturers, builders and retailers were among employers paring staff recently.

Pitney Bowes Inc., the world's largest maker of postal meters, this week said it will increase the number of workers by 170 at its facility in Troy, New York, and also relocate some employees from another site.

Aon Corp., the world's second-largest insurance broker, last week said it plans to cut 6 percent of its workforce, or 2,700 jobs, as falling commercial insurance rates threaten sales.

To contact the reporter on this story: Shobhana Chandra in Washington schandra1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 8, 2007 08:38 EST