New filings for US unemployment benefits declined again last week, hitting their lowest level since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The 547,000 new seasonally adjusted filings reported in the week ended April 17 was better than analysts expected and 39,000 fewer than the previous week's upwardly revised figure, as Covid-19 vaccination campaigns offer hope for a return to normalcy in the world's largest economy. cs/ft