U.S. newspaper help-wanted ads fall in March

NEW YORK, April 26 (Reuters) - The number of help-wanted ads in U.S. newspapers declined in March, a private research group said on Thursday.

The Conference Board said its gauge measuring help-wanted ad volume in the United States slid to 30 in March from 31 in February. It stood at 37 a year ago.

"The relatively modest ad volume now could be a signal that job growth may be modest (not more than 130,000 per month) this summer," said Ken Goldstein, labor economist at the Conference Board, in a statement.

Help-wanted ads declined in eight of nine U.S. regions in the last three months, with the largest falls in the East South Central, South Atlantic and East North Central regions, the Conference Board said. Ads in the East South Central region fell 22.6 percent.

The research firm surveys help-wanted ad volume at 51 newspapers across the United States each month.