The months-long decline in unemployment in Kansas reversed course in November, inching back up a tick as state and federal assistance programs expire, the Kansas Bureau of Labor reported Friday.

Preliminary estimates reported by the KDOL’s Labor Market Information Services division and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.6 percent in November. This was an increase from 5.0 percent in October and an increase from 3.1 percent in November 2019.

Barton County registered a rate of 4.6%, under the state average, compared to 4.1% in September and 2.8% in October 2019. Broken down even more, of a civilian labor force of 14,527, 672 were without a job.

“Following months of decline, the unemployment rate in Kansas increased to 5.6 percent in November with over 86,000 unemployed,” said Acting Labor Secretary Ryan Wright. “The Extended Benefits program ended on Dec. 12 in Kansas. In addition, two federally funded CARES Act programs, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, are currently scheduled to end on Dec. 26, unless Congress acts to extend them.” 

Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs decreased by 2,900 from October. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, decreased by 2,600 from the previous month, while government decreased by 300.

“Nonfarm job growth has slowed in Kansas in recent months,” said labor economist Emilie Doerksen. “In November, total nonfarm jobs declined by 2,900, with the majority of this decline in the leisure and hospitality and professional and business services industries. The U.S. has also seen a slower rate of job growth.”

Since November 2019, Kansas seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have declined by 58,300. This change is due to a decrease of 45,800 private sector jobs and 12,500 government jobs.

BLS revised seasonally adjusted preliminary total nonfarm jobs estimates for October downward by 1,000 jobs, from 1,368,900 to 1,367,900. Seasonally adjusted private sector jobs were revised downward by 800 jobs, from 1,120,500 to 1,119,700.  

The December 2020 Labor Report will be released on Friday, Jan. 22.  

At the national level, unemployment edged down by 0.2 percentage point over the month to 6.7 percent but was 3.2 points higher

than in November 2019, the BLS reported Friday.

Unemployment rates were lower in November in 25 states and the District of Columbia, higher in 7 states, and stable in 18 states, the U.S. Forty-eight states and the District had jobless rate increases from a year earlier and two states had little change.

The December 2020 Labor Report will be released on Friday, Dec. 18.