Area unemployment numbers for comparison
• Augusts 2016
Barton, 5
Ellsworth, 4.4
Pawnee, 3.7
Rice, 4.8
Rush, 4.7
Russell, 4.7
Stafford, 5
• July 2016
Barton, 5.5
Ellsworth, 4.4
Pawnee, 4.3
Rice, 4.9
Rush, 5.1
Russell, 5.2
Stafford, 5.6
• August 2015
Barton, 4.4
Ellsworth, 4.1
Pawnee, 3.6
Rice, 4.1
Rush, 3.6
Russell, 3.8
Stafford, 4.3
BY STAFF REPORTS
TOPEKA – The state’s August seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent. This was up from 4.0 percent in July and up from 4.1 percent in August 2015.
By comparison, Barton County’s jobless rate stood at 5 percent in August, 5.5 percent in July and 4.4 percent in August 2015. In other words, with a county civilian labor force totalling 14,211, 13,494 were employed and 717 unemployed.
The preliminary seasonally adjusted job estimates from the Kansas Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate Kansas nonfarm jobs decreased by 2,600 from July. Since last month, Kansas private sector jobs increased by 600. The largest private sector over the month job decrease was in Accommodation and Food Services.
“The private sector gained 600 jobs over the month, but those gains were offset by declines in government jobs on the state and local levels,” said Tyler Tenbrink, Senior Labor Economist, Kansas Department of Labor. “Overall the state posted an over the month loss in total nonfarm jobs.”
Over the year, Kansas lost 8,300 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs. Kansas lost 4,200 private sector jobs since August 2015.
Kansas not seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs decreased by 7,700, a 0.6 percent decrease since August 2015. Kansas lost 3,400 private sector jobs since last year, or 0.3 percent. The state lost 2,800 total not seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs over the month. Since July, private sector jobs decreased by 2,300, or 0.2 percent.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics revised seasonally adjusted preliminary total nonfarm job estimates for July down by 200 jobs, from 1,395,700 to 1,395,500. Seasonally adjusted private sector jobs were revised down by 700 jobs, from 1,140,600 to 1,139,900.
Seasonally adjusted estimates for August show that the state’s labor force declined by 5,300 to 1,484,753. Of those in the labor force, 1,421,035 Kansans were employed and 63,718 were unemployed. This month’s net change in the labor force was attributable to 8,802 fewer Kansans counted as employed and 3,502 more unemployed.
Over the year, the labor force decreased by 14,865 persons, with a decrease of 17,606 in
employment and an increase of 2,741 in unemployment.
The labor force participation rate was 66.8 percent, down from 67.1 percent in July and down from 67.9 percent last August.
The September 2016 Labor Report will be released on Friday, Oct. 21.
