First-time claims for unemployment insurance fell more than expected to 282,000 for the week ending March 21, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Jobless claims were 291,000 the week before, and have now been under 300,000 for three straight weeks.
The four-week moving average was of claims fell 7,750 to 297,000.
Fewer unemployment claims are a sign of slower layoffs, and a drop in claims taken as a positive sign for net job growth.
After rising well above the 300,000 line for several weeks in February, initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits have edged back down, despite unusually harsh winter conditions in some parts of the U.S.
Through February, job growth remained strong, relative to previous years of the ongoing recovery from the financial crisis.
The U.S. created 295,000 jobs in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and averaged nearly that many throughout the winter.
The total number of people receiving unemployment benefits fell by 74,194 to 2.8 million in the week ending March 7, according to Thursday’s report. That was down from 3.3 million a year earlier. In that time, the unemployment rate has fallen from 6.7 percent to 5.5 percent.
