The Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said Friday the state’s unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent in April, down from 6.3 percent in March.
There were nearly 597,000 people employed in the state in April, up from 594,000 in the previous month.
The department said the educational and health sectors made the largest gains, adding 700 jobs. The construction sector added 400 jobs, and professional and business services added 200.
The industry showing the largest downswing was leisure and hospitality, in part due to a Big Island hotel closure following the March 21 tsunami.
Nationwide, unemployment stood at 9 percent in April, up from 8.8 percent in March.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
