Kansas jobs, March 2019

Employment in Kansas continues to mostly grow in March 2019, but continues a trend of slower growth than the nation.

Data released last week from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows a decline in jobs in Kansas for February 2019.

Using seasonally adjusted data, from February 2019 to March 2019, nonfarm employment in Kansas fell by 2,500, which is 0.2 percent. Over the year, the number of Kansas nonfarm jobs for March 2019 rose by 5,900 or 0.4 percent over last March. This is using seasonally adjusted data. The non-adjusted figure is nearly the same at 5,300.

Over the year (March 2018 to March 2019), the Kansas labor force is up by 0.5 percent using seasonally adjusted data, with only small changes over the past three months. Non-seasonal data shows a slight decline in the labor force over the year.

The number of unemployed persons rose from February 2019 to March 2019, rising by 792 persons, or 1.5 percent. The unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in March, up from 3.4 percent from one year ago, and also up from 3.4 percent in February.

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The following chart shows the change in nonfarm jobs over the same month one year ago. For the past several years the line for Kansas has been below the line for the nation, meaning jobs were growing slower in Kansas. Recently, however, the gap between the lines is smaller.