California gained 46,000 jobs in April, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3% _ near a record low, according to data released Friday by the state's Employment Development Department.
Last month's gains marked an improvement over March, when payrolls in the state grew by an upwardly revised 28,500 jobs.
In April, nine of California's 11 industry sectors' payrolls grew compared with a month earlier. The largest increases came in the educational and health services sector, where employers boosted payrolls by 17,300, and the leisure and hospitality sector, which gained 12,100 jobs.
Gains were also reported in the professional and business services sector, the government sector and the construction sector, as well as several others.
Only two sectors shed jobs last month. The information sector _ which includes tech companies and Hollywood studios _ lost 600 jobs, and the mining and logging sector lost 200.
