Job gains in construction and other sectors cut West Virginia's unemployment rate by one-tenth of a percentage point in April to 5.2 percent.
Workforce West Virginia says 42,200 West Virginians were unemployment in April, a decline of 600 from the same period in 2007.
Construction added 2,600 jobs and accounted for most of the gain in the goods-producing sector. Natural resources and mining added 200 jobs, while manufacturing lost 100 jobs.
In the service-providing sector, leisure and hospitality gained 1,700 jobs. Business and professional services added 800 jobs.
Despite the gains, the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose three-tenths of a percentage point to five percent.