American optimism about finding a quality job rose substantially in March, with 19 percent of those surveyed saying that this is a “good time” to find employment, according to a survey released Friday.

Last month, only 12 percent had said that it was a good time to find a quality job, reports Gallup. Although 78 percent of those polled still think it is a “bad time” to find a quality job, this figure is the lowest since September 2008.

The number of people who filed applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell by 14,000 last week and matched a four-year low, the Labor Department said Thursday. Initial claims dropped to a seasonally adjusted 351,000 from 365,000, the government reported. Claims from the prior week were revised up from 362,000. The level of claims is an indicator of whether layoffs are rising or falling. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had estimated claims would fall to 355,000 in the week ended March 10.

Another controversial immigration bill is on the horizon in the South, a regional battleground that has seen a number of states pass reforms on illegal immigration. Mississippi's Republican-dominated House of Representatives voted 70-47 Thursday to pass the "Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Act."

Gov. Tom Corbett (R) signed into law HB 934, which requires all Pennsylvanians to show a certain form of photo ID in order to be allowed to vote, after the Republican-controlled state legislature approved the bill this week. It will have a disastrous impact on the 700,000 Pennsylvanians who currently lack photo ID, half of whom are senior citizens. With the new voter ID law in place, they would not be permitted to cast a vote in the November general election.