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Jobless claims drop
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March 16, 2000: 9:04 a.m. ET
First-time state unemployment filings down some 20,000 in latest week
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to 262,000 for the week ended March 11, down from a revised 281,000 the week before, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.
Claims near or below the 300,000 level are consistent with a tight job market.
The four-week moving average of claims, which generally provides a more accurate picture of jobless trends, fell to 271,750 for the reporting period from 277,500 the week before.
Continued claims were reported at 2,051,000 for the March 4 reporting period, the latest data available.
An increase in claims of more than 1,000 in the week ended March 4 was reported by eight states: New York, Michigan, California, Kansas, Delaware, Illinois, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
New York said the increase in claims was due to the return to a five-day work week after a shorter reporting period the week prior. California pointed to layoffs in service industries and agriculture. Layoffs in the transportation and service industries were reported by Kansas. Delaware reported layoffs in the construction and automobile industries, while Illinois cited layoffs in manufacturing. Pennsylvania blamed layoffs in the apparel and transportation equipment industries. Michigan and Washington had no comment. 
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