Massachusetts to release April jobs report

State officials say Massachusetts added about 30,000 new jobs over the first three months of 2012 and they are hoping that trend continue will continue with the release of the April jobs report.

The Associated PressThis May 2, 2012, photo shows a sign advertising job openings outside a McDonalds restaurant in Chesterland, Ohio. The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week by the most in more than three months, the Labor Department reported Thursday, May 3. The figure was a hopeful sign one day before the government releases the April jobs report. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

BOSTON (AP) — State officials say Massachusetts added about 30,000 new jobs over the first three months of 2012 and they are hoping that trend continue will continue with the release of the April jobs report.

The state's unemployment rate was pegged at 6.5 percent in March, down from 6.9 percent in the previous month and well below the national jobless rate of 8.2 percent in March.

The state Office of Labor and Workforce Development is scheduled to announce April jobs figures on Thursday.

While the state's economy has continued to show improvement in recent months, one concern is that tax collections in the current Massachusetts fiscal year are running $180 million below benchmarks set by state officials.