Unemployment rates fell in 23 US states in April as hiring recovered from weak March

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2014 file photo, job seekers fill out a job applications at a job fair in Miami Lakes, Fla. The Labor Department reports on state unemployment rates for April on Wednesday, May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File) (The Associated Press)

WASHINGTON – Unemployment rates fell in 23 U.S. states in April as hiring rebounded nationwide from weak job gains the previous month.

The Labor Department says that 11 states reported a higher unemployment rate than in March, while 16 states saw no change. Forty states gained jobs, and 9 states posted job losses.

The drag from lower oil prices that has triggered sharp cutbacks in oil drilling was evident in some states. Texas added just 1,200 jobs, far below its average monthly gain of 34,000 last year. Wyoming lost jobs, while North Dakota reported a small gain.

Nationwide, employers added a healthy 223,000 jobs in April, lowering the unemployment rate to a seven-year low of 5.4 percent. That represented a reassuring bounce back after the economy generated just 85,000 jobs in March.