Jobless figures across Kansas remain nearly steady, while there is a mixed bag of results at the county level across the KVOE listening area.
Emporia’s jobless rate in March climbed a bit from the February total, up from 4 percent to 4.2 percent. Lyon County held steady at 4.2 percent month-to-month.
Areawide, jobless rates for Coffey, Greenwood, Osage counties went down slightly, Chase County’s rate was up and rates for Morris and Wabaunsee counties were flat. Morris County now has the area’s lowest unemployment rate at 3.3 percent, while Coffey County has the highest at 5 percent.
The statewide unemployment rate for March is 3.5 percent, up marginally from the 3.4 percent in February. The Kansas Department of Labor says the state added 5,900 jobs compared to March 2018, although nonfarm jobs dipped by 2,500 from February.
