The unemployment rate in St. Joseph dropped in April for the first time in 2009, indicating that early signs of economic recovery may begin to be felt in the labor market.

Preliminary government data released Wednesday show the jobless rate in St. Joseph was 7 percent in April, a surprising 1.5 percent improvement from March when the jobless rate hit its highest in nearly 15 years.

The Labor Department says there were 4,820 people out of work in April, compared with 5,762 people without jobs in March. The number of people in the St. Joseph work force also increased by 2.2 percent in April to 63,558 workers.

The government figures are preliminary. They were released Wednesday before a mandatory adjustment to account for seasonal employment.

Despite that, the news presents a brightening unemployment picture in St. Joseph when the city recorded its highest unemployment rate since 1995 in March when the jobless rate hit 8.5 percent.

“It appears that recovery is already well under way,” said Ted Allison, president of the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce. “The pieces are falling into place and, at least in this region, it looks like employers, large and small, are starting to put some people to work.”

The 1.5 percent unemployment dip in St. Joseph outpaced job market improvements in Missouri and the nation, which decreased .6 percent and .4 respectively in April.

Mr. Allison attributes St. Joseph’s better trend to a diverse manufacturing base that includes animal life sciences and agriculture businesses not subject to wild cyclical swings, a rebounding consumer confidence and the effects of stimulus dollars.

Businesses are also weaning off a conservative approach toward hiring that has been commonplace in the recession.

“So now we’re seeing what looks like to me a greater confidence and the worst of this is behind us,” Mr. Allison said.

Ahmad Safi can be reached at ahmadsafi@npgco.com.