OT: Unemployment rate falls in Florida and 33 other states

The number of people searching for work declined last month in 34 states. The US Department of Labor reported lower unemployment rates in most states in April, with many of them adding jobs during the latest reporting period.

Florida's unemployment rate improved for the first time in over four years, with 15,500 more workers finding jobs than those who lost them, state labor officials reported Friday.

More than 1.1 million Floridians remained jobless and the unemployment rate was 12 percent. That was slightly better than the record 12.3 percent set in March. It was the first improvement in the state's employment numbers time since February 2006, the Agency for Workforce Innovation said.

Forty-five of Florida's 67 counties reported double-digit unemployment in April.

Rural Liberty County, just west of Tallahassee and home to a state prison, had the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 6.7 percent, an improvement from a 7.3 percent mark in March. Most of the counties with the healthiest employment figures have more government jobs.

Nationally, the largest monthly drop in April came from South Carolina, which saw its unemployment rate fall to 11.6 percent from 12.2 percent in March.

North Dakota, which already boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the country, saw its rate decline to 3.8 percent from 4 percent in March.

Michigan, Nevada and California continued to struggle with extremely high unemployment, holding the top three spots for jobless rate. Michigan did see a slight decline in April to 14 percent, while Nevada saw a small increase to 13.7 percent and California remained unchanged at 12.6 percent.

The improvement in the unemployment rate could be a sign that the recovery is taking affect.