US unemployment rate drops

US unemployment rate edged down to 7.5 percent in April from 7.6 percent in March, its lowest level since December 2008, the Labor Department reported.

Total non-farm payroll employment increased by 165,000 last month, with the private sector creating 176,000 jobs last month. US governments at all levels shed 11,000 jobs last month against the background of government spending cuts, reported Xinhua.

US economy has created private sector jobs for 38 straight months, with a total of 6.8 million jobs being added over that period.

In April, the number of unemployed Americans stood at 11.66 million, down from 11.74 million in March, said the department.

Employment rose in various sectors last month, including transportation, utilities, retail trade and health care, showed the report.

Retail trade added 29,300 jobs, while transportation and warehousing industry created 4,200 jobs. Health care sector employment rose 19,000. Construction sector shed 6,000 jobs, while manufacturing unemployment remained flat.

"While more work remains to be done, today's employment report provides further evidence that the US economy is continuing to recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression," Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said in a statement after the release of the report.