Kansas October jobs rise, unemployment rate dips

Work force data from Kansas shows that for the month of October, the state made gradual improvement from the month prior with an increase in available jobs and a decrease in the unemployment rate from the month prior.

Preliminary estimates from the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.3 percent in October.

This was a decrease from 5.9 percent in September and an increase from 3.1 percent in October 2019.

“The October report shows that Kansas has continued to make an economic recovery during the pandemic,” said Acting Secretary Ryan Wright. “We have seen an increase in the number of jobs and those employed in the labor force, along with another drop in the unemployment rate which decreased to 5.3 percent in October.”

Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs increased by 7,200 from September. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, increased by 5,900 from the previous month, while government increased by 1,300.

“October estimates show Kansas added jobs over-the-month and the state has now recovered 54.6 percent of nonfarm jobs lost in March and April,” said Labor Economist Emilie Doerksen. “The professional and business services and leisure and hospitality industries saw the largest increases in October, with each industry adding more than 2,500 jobs.”

Since October 2019, Kansas seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have declined by 53,000. Seasonally adjusted private sector jobs were revised upward by 1,500 jobs, from 1,113,100 to 1,114,600.