Telecom unemployment inches up in April

The unemployment rate ticked up to 8.7% in the telecommunications sector in April, following the national unemployment rate, which also rose to 9.9%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
The telecommunications sector lost 6,700 jobs from March to April, according to recent figures. A total of 934,500 jobs are categorized in that sector.
Employment in the wireless sector remained relatively flat, down 200 positions from February to March, with 195,400 positions assigned to the wireless sector, according to the Labor bureau. Its wireline sibling didn’t fare as well, losing 3,900 positions in March; 607,900 jobs are in the wireline carrier segment. California, which employs most people in the telecommunications carriers segment, lost 1,200 positions to total 107,900 positions in March. Texas lost 400 jobs to total 89,900 telecommunications sector positions. Georgia’s telecom sector lost 200 positions to 50,600, as did New York, which now counts 49,800 positions. Kansas lost 100 positions to total 19,800. New Jersey bucked the trend by adding 200 positions to total 37,400. All data is preliminary and likely will be adjusted during the month. Sixteen mass layoffs took place in March, the most recent month for which data is available.
Overall the computer and electronic products segment added 100 jobs from March to April to reach 1.0298 million jobs. Drilling down into that sector, the semiconductor and components sector added 1,600 jobs in April, while the communications equipment sector lost 100 positions. Computer and peripheral equipment added another 300 jobs, which was offset by 1,300 jobs lost in the electronic instruments category.