Initial jobless claims for the week ending March 11 decreased by 20,000 to 192,000 (Briefing.com consensus 215,000).

Continuing jobless claims for the week ending March 4 decreased by 29,000 to 1.684 million.

The four-week moving average for initial claims decreased by 750 to 196,500.

The four-week moving average for continuing claims decreased by 1,750 to 1,676,500.

The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending February 25 was 2,000,239, an increase of 79,630 from the previous week. In the same week a year ago, there were 1,968,546 weekly claims filed for benefits in all programs.

The key takeaway from the report is that initial claims were back below 200,000, reflective of a tight labor market that features a reluctance on the part of most employers to let employees go.