Topeka ? The state unemployment rate fell in April, according to the Kansas Department of Labor.

The rate was 6.3 percent, down from 7.1 percent in March and 6.8 percent in April 2010.

The April seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 6.7 percent, down from 6.8 percent in March and 7.1 percent in April 2010.

In Douglas County, the unemployment rate was 5.5 percent for April, a decrease from 6.2 percent in March and 5.8 percent in April 2010.

“The April labor market report gives us the first bit of good news we have had for some time,” said Kansas Labor Secretary Karin Brownlee.

Tyler Tenbrink, a labor economist with the Kansas Department of Labor, said the Kansas job market was improving but still faced challenges amid signs of inflation and uncertainty in the global economy.

The national unemployment rate stood at 9 percent for April.

In Kansas, there were 17,296 initial claims for unemployment benefits in April, down from 18,480 initial claims in March and 18,779 in April 2010.

There were 199,138 continued claims in April, down from 222,071 in March and 271,270 in April 2010.