TOPEKA – Despite a drop in state government jobs, preliminary estimates indicate the jobless rate in Kansas fell to a seasonally adjusted  3.4% in June, the Kansas Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. This was down from 3.5 percent in May and up from 3.3 percent in June 2018. 

In Barton County, the rate was 3.0, below the state average, in June. Out of a civilian workforce of 13,495, 13,087 were employed and 408 were jobless. The rate is down from 3.1 in May and lower than the 3.3 in June 2018. 

“June estimates show a 0.9 percent decline in state government jobs over the year,” said Secretary Delía García. “The main components of state government jobs are state hospitals, state universities and state agencies.”

Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs decreased by 900 from May. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, increased by 600 from the previous month.

“The unemployment rate in Kansas fell to 3.4 percent in June as the result of a significant decline in the number of unemployed people in the state,“ said Labor Economist, Emilie Doerksen. “This also reverses the slight upward trend over recent months and extends the current period of low unemployment.”

Statewide initial unemployment claims totalled 6,037, down 2,069 since May and 652 than June 2018. Continued claims totalled 32,551, which was 990 fewer than May and 3,901 fewer than June 2018. 

Since June 2018, Kansas gained 11,000 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs and 10,000 private sector jobs.

BLS revised seasonally adjusted preliminary total nonfarm jobs estimates for May upward by 1,000 jobs, from 1,425,700 to 1,426,700. Seasonally adjusted private sector jobs were revised upward by 1,100 jobs, from 1,165,800 to 1,166,900.

Nationally, unemployment rates were lower in June in six states, the BLS reported Friday. Kansas joined Alabama, Colorado, Montana, New Jersey and Texas in this category. 

The rate was stable in 44 states and the District of Columbia, according to the BLS. Three states had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier and 47 states and the District had little or no change.

The national unemployment rate, 3.7 percent, was little changed from May but was 0.3 percentage point lower than in June 2018. 

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in four states in June 2019 and was essentially unchanged in 46 states and the District of Columbia. Over the year, 28 states added nonfarm payroll jobs and 22 states and the District were essentially unchanged.