The U.S. unemployment rate fell slightly to 8.1 percent in April with fewer job gains, the Labor Department reported Friday.

The reading was generally in line with market expectations, marking the lowest level since January 2009.

However, employers pulled back on hiring for the second straight month. Total nonfarm payrolls rose by 115,000 jobs in April, less than the 154,000 job gain in March and the average level of 252,000 registered from December to February.

The private sector added 130,000 jobs while government slashed 15,000 posts in the month, Labor Department figures showed.

The number of unemployed Americans was little changed at 12.5 million. And the number of long-term unemployed, people who had been jobless for more than 6 months, remained as high as 5.1 million, accounting for 41.3 percent of the total unemployed.