WASHINGTON — Seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims fell to 382,000 for the week ending March 19, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 387,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Continuing claims were 3.721 million for the week ending March 12, a decrease of 2,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 3.723 million and the lowest level since Sept. 27, 2008, when continuing claims were 3.658 million.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters expected 385,000 initial claims and 3.700 million of continuing claims, according to the median estimate.
The four-week moving average for initial claims was 385,250, a decline of 1,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 386,750, the lowest since July 12, 2008, when it was 385,000.
