Applications for unexpectedly plunged to a fresh pandemic low as the job market recovery gathers steam. Initial claims in regular state programs decreased by 39,000 to 547,000 in the week ended April 17, Labor Department data showed Thursday. Economists in a Bloomberg survey estimated 610,000 claims. The prior week’s data was revised up to 586,000. The job market is strengthening as employers look to fill positions that were left empty by pandemic restrictions that have now been eased. Growth should speed up even more following a nationwide goal of administering an average of three million vaccinations per day.