Fewer Americans filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week, indicating the labor market may be recovering, Bloomberg reported.

Applications for jobless benefits fell 10,000 in the week that ended April 2 to 382,000, the fewest since Feb. 26, according to numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor. The number of people on unemployment benefit rolls and those collecting extended payments also decreased.

Unemployment has declined for four straight months, supporting the view of Federal Reserve policy-makers that the job market is showing signs of healing.

Consumer confidence in the United States rose for a second straight week, according to the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index. The index climbed to minus 44.5 in the period ended April 3, up from minus 46.9 the prior week. A reading of 100 means all respondents had a positive view.

“This is a forward-looking signal of an improving labor market,” said John Herrmann, a senior fixed-income strategist at State Street Global Markets in Boston. “The pickup in jobs and ongoing improvement in the equity market is bolstering confidence.”