°®¶¹´«Ã½

Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits over the past four weeks than at any time in almost 15 years, signaling underlying strength in the labor market even as hiring cooled last month.

The trucking industry lost 6,800 jobs in March as overall U.S. payrolls rose by 126,000, and the unemployment rate held at 5.5%, the Labor Department said April 3.

Fewer than 300,000 Americans filed applications for unemployment benefits for a second week, signaling the labor market remains resilient even as the economy shows signs of slowing.

Trucking added 2,600 jobs in February as the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 5.5%, the Labor Department reported.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits jumped by the most since December 2013 last week from a week earlier, a sign of uneven progress in the labor market.

Applications for unemployment benefits climbed last week to a level that’s consistent with progress in the U.S. labor market.

The trucking industry added 2,400 jobs in January as the unemployment rate increased slightly to 5.7%, the Labor Department reported Feb. 6.

The fewest Americans in almost 15 years filed applications for unemployment benefits during a holiday-shortened week that typically makes the data more volatile.

The trucking industry added 7,300 jobs in December as the unemployment rate declined to 5.6%, the lowest level since June 2008, the Labor Department reported Jan. 9.