South Australia’s unemployment rate has tumbled, and the State Government says only New South Wales and Western Australia now have lower rates.

Seasonally adjusted, the SA jobless rate was 6.3 per cent for April, down from 7.1 per cent in March.

The national unemployment rate is steady at 5.8 per cent.

SA Employment Minister Gail Gago has welcomed the latest numbers.

“We’re the only state to record a drop in its unemployment rates and we’ve significantly improved our position in relation to the national average,” she said.

“Over the past six months we’ve seen a consistent rise in the number of people employed full-time, with 3,700 full time jobs created since October.”

Ms Gago says the Government is working hard to create jobs and strengthen the state economy.

She has cited projects underway in SA including the Brickworks site redevelopment, the Masters Hardware expansion by Woolworths and opening of a fuel storage terminal near Port Adelaide.

Steve Whetton from the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies says there are signs of recovery.

“The increase in employment has been larger than the fall in unemployed so not a matter of people just getting discouraged and leaving the workplace, it’s people actually getting jobs,” he said.

The Opposition says the SA jobless rate has risen from 4.8 per cent to 6.3 per cent since Labor made a pledge to create 100,000 jobs.