(Washington, DC)  The Department of Employment Services announced today that the District of Columbia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose in April by 0.2 percentage point to 5.7 percent.  The April 2007 rate was 0.2 percent lower than last April.

“This month we saw a continuation of the expansion in the local labor force that started in January.  However, unlike in previous months, the expansion was accompanied by an increase in the unemployment rate,” said Acting Director Summer Spencer.   The number of unemployed District residents increased by 500, while the number or employed workers remained constant.  “The good news is that compared to April 2006, there are 9,300 more employed residents and 300 fewer unemployed which resulted in 9,100 more residents in the District’s labor force,” added Ms. Spencer.

The seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate in April 2007 was 4.5 percent; up 0.1 percent from the March 2007 rate and 0.2 percent lower than the April 2006, seasonally adjusted, national unemployment rate.

District of Columbia’s Civilian Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment 

The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April 2007 was 5.2 percent; down 0.2 percent from the rate in March 2007 and 0.4 percent lower than the April 2006 rate.
 
Over the month, the District’s civilian labor force increased by 400 to 319,500.  A total of 302,900 residents were employed and 16,600 were unemployed in April 2007.  A 1,100 increase in the number of employed residents along with a 700 decrease in the number of unemployed residents resulted in the 0.2 percent decrease in the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate.
 
Over the year, the District’s civilian labor force increased by 8,900 as the number of employed residents increased by 9,600 and the number of unemployed residents decreased by 700.  The District’s April 2007 unemployment rate was 0.4 percent lower than the rate in April 2006.

The April 2007 national unemployment rate of 4.3 percent (not seasonally adjusted) was down 0.2 percent from the rates in March 2007 and April 2006.

District of Columbia Job Growth

The number of District wage and salary jobs increased by 5,200 in April 2007.  The private sector increased by 3,000 jobs and the public sector added 2,200 jobs.   In the private sector, professional and business services gained 1,800 jobs, leisure and hospitality added 900 jobs, financial activities and educational and health services gained 200 jobs each, and information and other services added 100 jobs each. Manufacturing was unchanged while trade, transportation and utilities lost 200 jobs and natural resources and construction declined by 100 jobs.  In the public sector, the District Government gained 1,700 jobs and the Federal Government added 500 jobs while transportation was unchanged. 

In the last 12 months, the District gained a total of 12,900 jobs.  The private sector added 11,100 jobs and the public sector gained 1,800 jobs.  The private sector growth occurred in professional and business services (up by 6,700 jobs), leisure and hospitality (up by 1,100 jobs), educational and health services and other services (up by 1,000 jobs each), financial activities (up by 700 jobs), information (up by 600 jobs), and natural resources and construction and trade, transportation and utilities (up by 100 jobs each). The only loss was noted in manufacturing (down by 200 jobs).  In the public sector, the Federal Government gained 1,100 jobs, the District Government added 400 jobs and transportation gained 300 jobs.