The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index increased in April, following a decline in March. The index rose to a reading of 128.7 (1985=100) from 127.0 in March.

“Consumer confidence increased moderately in April after a decline in March,” said Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved somewhat, with consumers rating both business and labor market conditions quite favorably. Consumers’ short-term expectations also improved, with the percent of consumers expecting their incomes to decline over the coming months, reaching its lowest level since December 2000 (6.0%). Overall, confidence levels remain strong and suggest that the economy will continue expanding at a solid pace in the months ahead.”

Consumers’ outlook for the labor market was also more positive. The proportion expecting more jobs in the months ahead increased to 19.5% from 18.5%, while those anticipating fewer jobs remained at 12.5%.

The number of consumers stating that jobs were “plentiful” declined to 38.1% in April from 39.5% in March, while those claiming jobs are “hard to get” also edged down to 15.2% from 15.7%.