Unemployment Takes a Dip in Bay Area

Bay Area jobless numbers dropped in April after a small uptick in March, part of a statewide and national trend, according to state employment officials.

The state's unemployment rate in April was 10.9 percent, according to the California Employment Development Department, down slightly from March's 11 percent rate. That number was down from 11.8 percent in April 2011.

The South Bay added 3,600 jobs last month, the strongest employment growth in the entire state for April, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

However, while the Bay Area overall added 3,200 jobs, last month's growth represents a slowdown from the pace of employment gains seen earlier this year, the paper states. During the first three months of 2012, the region averaged monthly gains of close to 12,600 jobs.

Elsewhere in the Bay Area, San Francisco's unemployment rate was 7.4 percent in April, sharply down from March's rate of 8.1 percent.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee hailed the news as a sign that job creation efforts are meeting with success.

"As today's unemployment report demonstrates, we are making significant progress putting people back to work in neighborhood small businesses, tech and innovation companies and active construction sites," Lee said in a statement.

Marin County, which has the lowest jobless rate in the state, dropped to 6.4 percent from March's 6.6 percent.

Solano County, which has the highest unemployment rate in the Bay Area, also saw a decline, from 10.9 percent in March to 10.2 percent in April.

The national unemployment rate also declined in April to 8.1 percent from 8.2 percent in March. The state's unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 households around California.

—Bay City News and Michelle Fitzsimmons