WASHINGTON, March 13 (UPI) -- First-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits held steady at 353,000 in the week ending March 8, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday.
The four-week average number of claims declined slightly to 359,750, down by 1,250.
The four-week, average has declined steadily since spiking at 373,000 in January.
Initial benefits claims filed by former federal employees -- not counting the armed forces -- totaled 881 in the week ending March 1, the report said, while 1,544 discharged veterans filed claims.
