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U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Decline to Lowest Since 1969

  • Applications dropped to 187,000 last week, below all estimates
  • Fed Chair Powell said labor market is at an ‘unhealthy’ level
A worker sands wood components for a pool table in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
A worker sands wood components for a pool table in Jeffersonville, Indiana.Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg
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Applications for U.S. state unemployment insurance fell last week to the lowest since 1969 as employers desperately try to hang onto workers amid near-record job openings and depressed labor-force participation.

Initial unemployment claims decreased by 28,000 to 187,000 in the week ended March 19, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The median estimate called for 210,000 applications in a Bloomberg survey of economists.