Missouri Unemployment Drops in April

8.7% to 8.1%

Missouri's unemployment rate in April dropped by more than half a percentage point to 8.1 percent, the Associated Press notes.

The drop from 8.7 percent in March breaks a nearly yearlong string of rising unemployment numbers and is the greatest monthly drop since at least January 1976.

THE BAD NEWS: In April, Missouri still lost 9,300 jobs in manufacturing, retail and leisure and hospitality.

AND: April also generally posts lower unemployment rates because seasonal work and outdoor industries are hiring but school is still in session.