The Bay State’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.7 percent in April, hitting its lowest level since January 2008, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced today.

“This is the seventh consecutive month we’ve seen a decrease in unemployment,” Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald Walker said in a statement. “Many more residents are employed, and labor participation has increased again.”

Over the year, the jobless rate in Massachusetts dropped 1.1 perfect from its April 2014 rate of 5.8 percent. In March of this year, the jobless rate was 4.8 percent.

Preliminary job estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics report that Massachusetts gained 10,100 jobs in April, marking the eighth consecutive month of jobs gains. The bureau revised its March job figure, reporting the state gained 12,100 jobs, instead of 10,500, which it reported last month.

Over the month, jobs were up 10,100 with a private sector gain of 9,700. Since April 2014, jobs grew by 66,100 with 57,900 private sector job gains. Education and health services and professional, scientific and business services had the largest job gains over the year, rising 2.9 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively. Manufacturing was the only sector to lose jobs over the year, dropping 0.9 percent.