Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information Services division of the Kansas Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.8 percent in August. This was unchanged from 3.8 percent in July and a decrease from 6.2 percent in August 2020.
“August estimates indicate little change in the labor force since July, resulting in no change to the unemployment rate at 3.8 percent,” said Secretary Amber Shultz. “The private sector added jobs for the third consecutive month. Most of the gains in August were due to continued economic recovery in manufacturing and leisure and hospitality."
The jobless rate in Geary County fell over half a percentage point to 5.8 percent. Every other county in the regional posted an unemployment rate below 4 percent in August. Riley and Dickinson County were the highest in region at 3.9 percent in August.
Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs decreased by 1,300 from July. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, increased by 2,900 from the previous month, while government decreased by 4,200.
“Private sector employers in Kansas added 2,900 jobs in August,” said Labor Economist Emilie Doerksen. “With this additional growth, current estimates are only 3.1 percent below pre-pandemic levels. For comparison, U.S. job estimates for August are 3.5 percent lower than February 2020 estimates."
Since August 2020, Kansas seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 22,500. This change is due to an increase of 27,600 private sector jobs and a decrease of 5,100 government jobs.