AUGUSTA – Maine’s unemployment rate dropped by six-tenths of a percentage point in April to 4.3 percent, the Baldacci administration said Friday.

State Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said the jobless figure dropped from 4.9 percent in March as a result of an increase in the number of self-employed, as well as slight employment gains in professional and business services and manufacturing.

The unemployment figures take into account seasonal fluctuations in the labor market.

Maine’s April unemployment rate was 1.3 percentage points lower than the comparable national rate for the month, 5.6 percent.

“It is encouraging to see the unemployment rate fall to 4.3 percent in April,” said Fortman. “However, it will take more than one month’s data to indicate a significant trend in labor market conditions.”

Other New England states reporting their seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for April include Vermont, 3.6 percent; New Hampshire, 3.9 percent; Connecticut, 4.5 percent; and Massachusetts, 4.8 percent.