Emporia’s jobless rate remained flat in the latest report from the Kansas Department of Labor.
Emporia’s jobless rate held steady at 5.8 percent between May and June, unfortunate enough to be the highest rate for a city in Kansas. The closest is Kansas City, Kansas, at 5.1 percent.
Lyon County’s rate ticked up slightly from 5.3 to 5.4 percent, third-highest behind Crawford County’s 5.7 percent and Bourbon County’s 5.5 percent.
Jobless rates in Emporia have been increasing since Tyson announced plans for closing down all its local operations this past December, starting the process in February and eventually winding down its presence last month. City officials have said the vast majority of employees decided to stay in Emporia, but the number of employees who found jobs elsewhere versus the number who agreed to 16 weeks of unemployment benefits through the state is not immediately clear.
Elsewhere across the KVOE listening area, all counties had modest increases. Morris County has the lowest unemployment number at 3.1 percent, while Coffey County has the area high at 4.6 percent.
The statewide jobless rate held at 3.8 percent.
