In the first 11 months of this year, employers added 2.65 million jobs. That already makes 2014 the best year for hiring since 1999.

The figures are “low enough to signal very strong payroll growth,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. The current level of applications is consistent with monthly job gains of about 300,000, he said.

Just 2.37 million people are receiving benefits, down from more than four million a year ago. Some former recipients have found jobs, but many have used up all the benefits available to them. A federal extended benefits program expired at the end of last year. Barely a quarter of the 9.1 million people out of work receive unemployment aid.

Still, hiring is accelerating. Employers added 321,000 jobs in November, the most in nearly three years. The unemployment rate held steady at 5.8 percent, down from 7 percent 12 months earlier.

The average hourly wage rose 9 cents to $24.66, the biggest gain in 17 months. Over the last 12 months, hourly pay has risen 2.1 percent, above the 1.3 percent inflation rate.