Unemployment rate at 5.4 percent

WASHINGTON — The U.S. unemployment rate for April was 5.4 percent compared with March's rate of 5.5 percent.

Total nonfarm employment increased by 223,000 in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

Professional and business services, healthcare and construction all had job gains while mining employment continued to decline.

Professional and business services added 62,000 jobs; construction added 45,000 jobs; and healthcare added 45,000.

For the year, the number of unemployed has gone down by 1.1 million.