Mary-Louise Hoffman
Employment data from the Labor Department suggests the economy in the Washington area is regaining growth traction after a slowdown due in part to a harsh winter, the Washington Post reported Friday.
Sarah Halzack writes that DOL statistics released Friday show that D.C., Maryland and Virginia created a total of 13,000 jobs during April.
The professional services and government contracting sectors added 700 positions throughout D.C. last month.
Those industries also generated 3,100 positions in Maryland and 2,000 jobs in Virginia during the past month, Halzack writes.
Labor data also shows that D.C. unemployment in April remained unchanged at 7.5 percent and jobless rates in Maryland declined to 5.5 percent.
The overall U.S. unemployment rate dipped to 6.3 percent in April, the lowest level since 2008, according to the Post.
Halzack reports that the U.S. economy created 288,000 new jobs in April and 43 states saw their jobless rates decline last month.
