U.S. MARCH JOBLESS RATE FELL TO 6.6 PCT

  The U.S. civilian unemployment rate
  fell to 6.6 pct in March from 6.7 pct in February, the Labor
  Department said.
      The number of non-farm payroll jobs rose 164,000 last month
  after rising a revised 236,000 in February. That was down from
  the previously reported 337,000 rise in February.
      The March unemployment rate was the lowest since March,
  1980. It had remained unchanged at 6.7 pct for three straight
  months before the March decline.
      The rise in non-farm payrolls was the smallest since a
  decline last June of 75,000, the department said.
      Last month's unemployment rate was down from the 7.2 pct
  level in March, 1986.
      Growth in jobs continued in March but was slower than in
  recent months, with the gains concentrated in service
  industries.
      The number of goods-producing jobs fell 68,000 in March,
  while service-producing jobs rose 232,000 to bring the total
  jobs in the department's survey of businesses to 102.03 mln in
  March.
      Business and health services showed the largest gains in
  jobs, while manufacturing employment fell by 25,000.
      The average work week fell to 34.8 hours in March from 35.0
  hours in February, the department said.
      Manufacturing hours fell to 40.9 per week from 41.2 hours
  in February, but overtime hours increased to 3.7 from 3.6.
      The department's survey of households showed the number of
  unemployed stood at 7.85 mln out of a work force of 119.2 mln.
      The number of persons working part time for economic
  reasons fell in March to 5.46 mln from 5.78 mln in February.
      The loss of factory jobs brought the March total to 19.19
  mln jobs and was concentrated in automobile, electrical and
  electronic manufacturing.
      Construction employment also lowered the number of jobs in
  the goods-producing sector, falling by 45,000 after seasonal
  adjustment, the department said.
      Mining employment was little changed in March and has not
  experienced any substantial erosion since the rapid job losses
  in oil and gas drilling in the first two-thirds of 1986.
      Other service industries that increased jobs last month
  were finance, insurance, and real estate.
  

