Oklahoma’s jobless rate declines

Jobless rates in all 77 Oklahoma counties dipped in March, a sign of economic recovery in the state, according to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.

The Oklahoma City area unemployment rate dipped to 6.1 percent in March, with 34,910 jobless people. That’s down from 6.7 percent in February.

The unemployment rate in the Tulsa area decreased to 7.5 percent from 8.1 percent in February. Lawton’s joblessness fell to 5.4 percent in March, down from February’s 6 percent.

"It’s definitely what we’d want to see as we move forward,” said OESC spokesman John Carpenter. "It looks like we are headed in the right direction now.”

Unemployment rates fell or remained level in three-quarters of the 372 largest metropolitan areas, a sign that the recovery is widespread, the U.S. Labor Department said.

The Oklahoma City area gained 4,400 jobs from February to March, with most growth seen in retail, leisure and hospitality, and local government jobs.

The state unemployment rate was 6.6 percent in March, the lowest recorded in 10 months.

Unemployment was highest in Latimer, McCurtain, Sequoyah and Hughes counties. It was lowest in Beaver, Harper and Woods counties.

The Labor Department said Wednesday the jobless rate dropped in 69 percent of metro areas last month from February. It rose in 24 percent of large cities and remained the same in the rest. That’s an improvement from February, when the unemployment rate decreased in 51 percent of metro areas and increased in one-third.

CONTRIBUTING: The Associated Press