April’s unemployment rate in Belleville remained higher than both state and regional averages, according to figures released today by the US Department of Labor.
According to government data, there were 18,029 in the Belleville labor force, a figure that includes people who are either working or unemployed. Of those, 16,068 were working and 1,961 were seeking work, according to the April figures, which are the most recent available.
The township’s unemployment rate was 10.9 percent, the lowest level since the start of the year and down from a rate of 11.6 percent a year earlier.
But while the township’s monthly unemployment rate again reflects a general, gradual decrease over time, Belleville still had a higher percentage of unemployed in April than either the county or the state as a whole. Essex County’s unemployment rate was 10.7 percent, a slight dip from a year earlier. Meanwhile, New Jersey had an an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent in April -- nearly two percentage points lower than Belleville’s.
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