The help-wanted index dipped during April.

Companies placed slightly fewer ads for new personnel in April than they did in March, but the overall demand remained substantially higher than a year ago, a business research group reported. The Conference Board said its help-wanted index, which measures the volume of classified advertising in 51 major newspapers, fell to 144 from 150 in March. In April, 1986, it stood at 132. The index uses 1967 at 100 as its base. The survey showed that April’s volume rose only in the Pacific region, by 1.8%. The other regions registered declines from March to April, from 8.1% in the West North Central region to 1.6% in New England.