Corridor unemployment rates fall in April

April was a good month to look for employment in construction. leisure and hospitality in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor.

The Cedar Rapids metropolitan statistical area (MSA) added 1,400 nonfarm jobs from March, according to Iowa Workforce Development, bringing employment to 144,200 and dropping the jobless rate to 3.7 percent from 4.4 percent in March.

Natural resources and construction led all industry sectors, adding 600 jobs from March. Leisure and hospitality added 500 jobs, marking the third consecutive month of gain.

Professional and business services added 400 jobs. Trade, transportation and warehousing, and government each pared 100 jobs in April.

For the year, natural resources and construction lags behind the April 2015 level by 300 jobs. Information, which has not seen an over-the-year increase since September 2013, shed 400 jobs from April 2015.

Nonfarm employment in the Iowa City MSA rose by 400 jobs last month, boosted by gains of 300 positions in leisure and hospitality and 200 jobs in professional and business services. The unemployment rate slid to 2.4 percent in April from 2.8 percent in March.

The Iowa City MSA has added 700 jobs from April 2015, with gains in government and trade, transportation and warehousing. Goods-producing sectors shed 200 jobs and professional and business services has eliminated 100 jobs.

The state's jobless rate edged up to 3.9 percent last month from 3.8 percent in March.

Mike Owen, executive director of the Iowa Policy Project in Iowa City, said in a news release that the April increase was more than twice as great as the recent and long-term averages.

'Monthly growth at over 4,000 jobs would put Iowa on a strong course to recovery, but as we've seen before, we should not make too much of a one-month bounce,” Owen said. 'Slow and steady is Iowa's pace when viewed over the last several months and years.”