Los Angeles County’s unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent in June as employers added a net 4,800 jobs, according to figures released Friday.

The county’s unemployment rate improved 0.1 percentage point from May’s rate, according to numbers released from the state’s Employment Development Department. In June 2013, the county’s unemployment rate stood at 10 percent.

The leisure and hospitality sector led the way for June’s county job gains, adding a net 4,000 jobs as businesses geared up for the summer tourist season. The entertainment sector added 2,800 jobs, as did the retail sector. Construction added 2,100 net jobs.

Schools going out of session for the summer were the primary cause of job losses during the month. Private education employers shed 10,300 workers, while local public education payrolls fell by 2,800.

Over the past year, employer payrolls increased at a robust 2.2 percent rate, leading to 89,000 new jobs. Health care and social assistance employers led with 34,000 jobs, followed by professional and business services, up 22,000. But these gains were tempered by a 16,000 slide in manufacturing jobs over the past year.

“Companies now have a greater confidence in their incremental growth for the future,” said Mara Klug, vice president for the Los Angeles region with Adecco, a staffing firm based in Glattburg, Switzerland. “We’re now seeing more direct hiring for full-time positions than in previous years.”

The statewide employment rate improved by 0.2 percentage point to 7.4 percent as California employers added a net 24,200 jobs to their payrolls. The national unemployment rate was 6.3 percent.