The Kansas City area unemployment rate inched up to 5.4 percent in April, with few changes taking place in the job market.

April's area jobless rate was higher than the March rate of 5.3 percent but the same as the rate in April 2002, according to figures released by the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

Despite the increase in April's rate, the number of nonfarm payroll jobs in the Kansas City area improved slightly to 932,300, a rise of less than 1 percent from March. The number of area nonagricultural jobs in April was down 2.9 percent from the same month last year.

Much of the job gain from March to April came from an increase of 2,400 jobs in the construction industry. The number of area manufacturing jobs fell by 1,000 between March and April, but the service industry added 1,800 positions.

Within the service sector, the biggest gainer was the leisure and hospitality industry, which added 2,900 employees.

About 1,600 people found jobs in professional and business services.

Among the big losers were the information sector, which eliminated 1,200 positions, and educational and health services, which lost 1,000 employees.

In Missouri, the jobless rate in April was 4.9 percent, down from 5 percent in March and 5.4 percent in April 2002.

In Kansas, the unemployment rate in April was 4.8 percent, down from March's revised rate of 4.9 percent and 5 percent in April 2002.

Here is a breakdown of the metropolitan area's jobless rate by county, April compared with March:

Missouri:

• Cass, 4.2 percent from 4.5 percent.

• Clay, unchanged at 3.8 percent.

• Clinton, 4.4 percent from 5.4 percent.

• Jackson, 5.8 percent from 5.6 percent.

• Lafayette, 4.8 percent from 4.9 percent.

• Platte, 3.4 percent from 3.5 percent.

• Ray, 5.1 percent from 5.5 percent.

Kansas:

• Johnson, 4.2 percent from 3.9 percent.

• Leavenworth, 6.6 percent from 6.5 percent.

• Miami, 5.4 percent from 5.6 percent.

• Wyandotte, 12 percent from 12.2 percent.