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Indiana jobless rate drops to 5.4 percent for April

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Indiana’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 percent for April, when officials say the state added 10,600 private-sector jobs.

Figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Workforce Development show Indiana’s jobless mark fell four-tenths of a percentage point last month from the March rate. It is the state’s lowest jobless rate since early 2008, before unemployment jumped sharply during the recession.

Workforce Development Commissioner Steven Braun says the 2,400-job increase in construction jobs for April is a positive sign going into summer.

The Indiana unemployment mark matches the national level for April.

Federal figures show about 176,000 people were looking for jobs in Indiana last month.