US unemployment rate drops to 10-year low

The U.S. unemployment rate declined marginally in April, but it was enough to bring the figure to a 10-year low.

The jobless rate nationwide dipped to 4.4 percent, an improvement from 4.5 percent in March and 4.8 percent during the first month of the year. The November rate of 4.6 percent was the lowest level since 2007, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics news release.

Last month, employers added 211,000 jobs, more than doubling the 98,000-job increase in March.

Increases were led by:
    •    leisure and hospitality, at 55,000 jobs;
    •    professional and business services, at 39,000;
    •    health care and social assistance, at 37,000;
    •    financial activities, at 19,000; and
    •    mining, at 9,000.

Other major industries, including construction, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade, were roughly flat, according to the release.