Orange County employers added 3,800 jobs in April, helping drive down the unemployment rate to 4.1%.
The rate, not adjusted for seasonality, compares with 4.4% in March and 5.1% a year earlier, according to the state Employment Development Department.
OC has 1,532,200 jobs now, up 3.4% from a year earlier.
Construction businesses added 2,700 jobs, more than any other sector, for a total of 87,500. The number of jobs in construction has grown at nearly 10% over the past year.
The leisure and hospitality sector added 1,100 jobs for a total of 197,100. Accommodation and food services accounted for more than 60% of the monthly increase. The sector has grown 2% year-over-year.
Professional and business services added 1,000 jobs to 282,800. The sector has grown 3.8% year-over-year.
The trade, transportation and utilities sector added 300 jobs to 257,800. It’s up 2% year-over-year.
A few sectors reported cutbacks.
Educational and health services lost 600, for a total of 199,600. It’s still grown by more than 5% over the past year.
Manufacturing lost 300 jobs for a total of 161,700. The sector is up 2.6% year-over-year.
The unemployment rate for California, not seasonally adjusted, was 6.1%, compared with 6.5% in March and 7.2% a year earlier.
Nationwide, the unadjusted rate was 5.1%, down from 5.6% in March and 5.9% a year ago.
Seasonally adjusted numbers, which are more widely reported, indicate California’s jobless rate was 6.3% and the nationwide rate 5.4%.
