April county unemployment down

April’s unemployment rate in St. Joseph County was four-tenths of a percent lower than the previous month.

The monthly labor-market analysis by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget showed the county’s 3.7 percent April unemployment rate marked a decrease from March’s 4.1 percent.

St. Joseph County equaled the state’s unemployment average for the month.

The agency said payroll jobs advanced locally in April, while job gains occurred in construction, leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and retail trade.

Kalamazoo County featured the lowest unemployment rate in the region in April, at 2.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Van Buren County had the region’s highest, at 3.9 percent.

Cass County’s unemployment rate for the month was 3.7 percent.