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The Richmond region’s unemployment rate was 2.6% in April, down from 3.2% in March and 3% a year ago in April.

The jobless rate declined in April even as the region’s overall labor force continued to grow as people entered the job market. The labor force increased by almost 1,000 from March to April to 682,744, the Virginia Employment Commission reported on Wednesday.

The number of people counted as unemployed in the Richmond region stood at 18,019 in April, down almost 2,000 from a year ago in April.

The local rates have not been adjusted for seasonal factors that can temporarily affect employment.

Jobless rates also declined in the state’s other major metropolitan areas in April, said Conrad Buckler, an economist for the Virginia Employment Commission.

Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was steady from March to April at 2.9% while the national rate was 3.6%.

In the Richmond region, employers added a net total of 9,400 jobs from April 2018 to April 2019, for a job growth rate of 1.4%.