The number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped for the third time in four weeks, reflecting a weak but slowly recovering job market.
Initial claims fell 14,000 to a seasonally adjusted 442,000 in the week ended March 20, the Labor Department said Thursday.
The latest figures reflect annual revisions using new seasonal factors, and put claims 10,000 lower than they would have been under the previous assumptions, a Labor Department official said.
Full story: Weekly unemployment claims fall 14,000