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.