The March jobless rate may have come as a pleasant surprise for residents of Emporia and Lyon County, although Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas Interim President Lyle Butler doesn’t seem surprised by the numbers reported Friday.
Emporia’s jobless rate was at 5.6 percent in February, dipping to 5.2 percent in March. Lyon County had a similar decline, from 5.4 to 5 percent.
March was notable because it followed the immediate shutdown of Hopkins Manufacturing, and the end of nearly 130 jobs, in late February. Butler has been looking at trends since he took his current role over a year ago, after Tyson Foods announced its total local shutdown in December 2024.
Butler says the local unemployment rate is still higher than city officials would like to see, but losses from Hopkins are possibly getting offset by job gains in other areas.
Even with layoffs and job closures the past 18 months, Butler says many of the displaced workers are either staying here or close to Emporia.
Meanwhile, Butler says employers are doing what they can to help those affected by the Hopkins closure and more recent Michelin layoffs.
On the Michelin situation, Butler says Kansas WorkforceONE has been in regular contact with business leaders about soft landings for the roughly 100 workers affected, and he says Michelin has been good at providing information about career counseling, wellness counseling and other services. A job fair is possible at some point down the road.
March also had most area counties report declines in their jobless rates — in Coffey County’s case, by more than a percentage point. Greenwood County stayed level at 5 percent, which ties Lyon County for the area high. Morris County has the area’s lowest unemployment mark at 3.2 percent.
The statewide jobless rate was 3.9 percent, unchanged from February.
