Charlotte’s unemployment rate drops in April as more people find work

The Charlotte-area unemployment rate fell in April from March as employers across multiple industries added more workers to their payrolls.

The metro area’s jobless rate declined to 4.8 percent from 5.1 percent the previous month, the N.C. Commerce Department reported Wednesday. In April last year, the area’s jobless rate was 5.3 percent.

The Charlotte area’s employment level rose by 9,200 jobs from March to April. Professional and businesses services added 3,800 jobs, the most of any industry. Leisure and hospitality added 3,300.

Manufacturing employment fell by 1,000 jobs, the Commerce Department said, and education and health services fell by 300.

Over the year, employment in the Charlotte metro area, which includes Concord and Gastonia, has risen by 32,200.

Last month, the Commerce Department said North Carolina’s unemployment rate was 5.4 percent in April, down from 5.5 percent in March. The national rate was unchanged at 5 percent in April, the U.S. Labor Department said.

Across North Carolina, the unemployment rate fell in 95 of the 100 counties, the Commerce Department reported. The jobless rate increased in three and remained unchanged in two. Here are the rates in neighboring counties:

▪ Cabarrus County’s rate fell to 4.5 percent from 4.9 percent

▪ Gaston County’s rate fell to 5.1 percent from 5.4 percent

▪ Iredell County’s rate fell to 4.7 percent from 5.1 percent

▪ Lincoln County’s rate fell to 4.7 percent from 5.0 percent

▪ Union County’s rate fell to 4.3 percent from 4.7 percent

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Charlotte’s unemployment rate drops in April as more people find work."