The Labor Department says weekly applications declined 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 386,000. The previous week's data was revised up 8,000 to 388,000.
The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose 5,500 to 374,750, the highest in nearly three months.
Hiring slowed in March after a fast start this year. Employers added only 120,000 jobs in March - half the pace of the previous three months. Many economists downplayed the weak March figures, noting that a warmer winter may have led to some earlier hiring in January and February.
