State jobless rates held steady from April to May, while area jobless rates increased slightly.
The state jobless rate held at 3.5 percent, and Labor Department economist Todd Rilinger says the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is apparent.
The current unemployment rate is down from the 9 percent unemployment rate from May 2020.
Locally, there was a slight increase. Emporia and Lyon County both went from 2.9 percent in April to 3.2 percent in May.
Areawide, there were similar increases, with county jobless rates going up by 0.10 to 0.50 percent. Coffey County has the area’s highest unemployment at 3.5 percent. Chase County has the lowest at 2.6 percent.
