Jobless claims fall to 166K, lowest level since 1968

New weekly claims for unemployment insurance fell to the lowest level since 1968 at the end of March, according to data released Thursday by the Labor Department.

In the week ending April 2, the seasonally adjusted total of new claims for jobless benefits fell to 166,000, a decline of 5,000 from the previous week. Seasonally adjusted weekly jobless claims have fallen to the lowest level since the week ending Nov. 30, 1968, when 162,000 Americans filed to start a new cycle of unemployment insurance.