Missouri’s employment situation improved in April after three somewhat flat months. According to figures from the State Department of Economic Development, the unadjusted unemployment rate was down slightly, in April, to 4.9 percent, compared to 5 percent in March and 5.4 percent in April of last year. Missouri’s jobless rate is nearly a full percent below the national rate of 5.8 percent. In another positive development, the labor force increased by 12,500 in April. That number had been trending downward since the middle of 2001.
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