WASHINGTON —New applications for jobless benefits fell last week to the lowest level in nearly four years, further evidence that U.S. employers likely added a healthy number of workers to their payrolls in March.
Initial jobless claims decreased by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 357,000 in the week ended March 31, the Labor Department said Thursday. That is the lowest level since April 19, 2008, before the onset of the financial crisis. The level of weekly claims has steadily declined since last fall.
“We believe that the economy has entered a more self-sustaining phase of the recovery with stronger job creation,” said analysts from RDQ Economics.
The prior week’s level of claims was revised up to 363,000 from a previously reported 359,000.
The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, decreased by 4,250 to 361,750, also the lowest level since April 2008. Dow Jones Newswires
