New york: The number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time in the US fell to 213,000 in the week ending March 7, slightly below expectations. The US Department of Labor released its weekly data, highlighting a decrease in initial jobless claims by 1,000 from the previous week. According to Anadolu Agency, market expectations had anticipated the number of jobless claims to be around 214,000 during this period. The previous week's data was revised from an initial 213,000 to 214,000. As of last week, the four-week average for unemployment benefit applications saw a reduction of 4,000, bringing it down to 212,000. Additionally, the number of continuing unemployment benefit applications dropped by 21,000, reaching 1.85 million for the week ending February 28.