RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia's unemployment rate remained at the lowest rate in three years in April and is still below the national average.
The Virginia Employment Commission says Virginia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed at 5.6 percent in April. That's down 0.6 percentage points lower than a year ago.
Virginia's jobless rate has been trending down since January 2010, when joblessness peaked at 7.3 percent.
The state's unemployment rate is still below the national average, which dropped to 8.1 percent in April.
The Labor Department says unemployment rates fell in two-thirds of U.S. states last month, evidence that modest economic growth is boosting hiring in most areas of the country.
Rates dropped in 37 states in April, the most in three months. Unemployment rose in 5 states and was unchanged in eight. And employers have added 1 million jobs in the past five months, although the pace of hiring slowed in March and April.
Virginia's nonfarm payroll employment increased by 23,400 jobs in April compared with the previous month. It was the third consecutive monthly increase.
Increases were seen in leisure and hospitality, trade and transportation, professional and business services, construction, total government, manufacturing, finance, and miscellaneous services. Losses were seen in private education and health services, and the information sector. The mining industry remained unchanged.
The state agency said 49,748 Virginians were receiving regular unemployment benefits in April. That's down from 61,237 in March and down from 55,412 in April 2011.