ECONOMY

Number of Employment Ads Grows: Help-wanted advertising in U.S. newspapers increased in March, a reflection of rising demand for workers in much of the country, the Conference Board business research group said. Its Help-Wanted Advertising Index, which measures the monthly volume of employment ads in 51 major newspaper markets, rose to 117, compared to 115 in February and 105 in January. A year ago, the index was at 96. “The labor market recovery is continuing,” Kenneth Goldstein, a Conference Board economist, said Thursday. The expansion in the economy is enough to “open up new jobs as well as encourage employers to step up their recruitment efforts,” he said. The increase in job advertising has coincided with a large increase in new jobs in recent months, the board said.