Jobless numbers held steady for the state last month.
The February jobless rate matched the January report at 2.9 percent. Overall, private sector jobs increased by 1,400 month-to-month, but government jobs decreased by 2,900, pushing seasonally-adjusted nonfarm payroll employment down by 1,500 for the month.
Over the past year, seasonally-adjusted nonfarm jobs have increased by over 41,000, with over 38,000 private-sector jobs added.
One concern in the monthly report: Labor Department economist Nathan Kessler says inflationary pressures are impacting real wages for Kansas workers.
At the local level, Emporia’s and Lyon County’s jobless rates both went from 2.9 to 3.1 percent in February.
All neighboring counties had jobless rate increases, but all were by less than half a percentage point. Chase County has the area low at 2.6 percent. Coffey County has the area high at 4.1 percent.
The Kansas Department of Labor has now unveiled an interactive monthly map that includes data at the state, county and local levels dating back to January 2000. Click here for the link.
