Ky. jobless rate drops to 7.9 percent in April
Kentucky's unemployment rate drops slightly to 7.9 percent in April
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky's unemployment rate dropped slightly to 7.9 percent in April, down from 8 percent in March.
The state Office of Employment and Training said Thursday that the preliminary April rate was an improvement from the 8.2 percent statewide rate in April 2012.
Kentucky's jobless rate remains above the national rate, which was at 7.5 percent in April.
Manoj Shanker, an economist with the Office of Employment and Training, says Kentucky's employment picture has improved with a steady increase in jobs. That has caused more people to enter the labor force, which he says is keeping the jobless rate fairly flat.
The report says Kentucky's leisure and hospitality sector expanded by 2,800 jobs in April. The state's manufacturing sector gained 2,300 jobs, as did the professional and business services sector.
