TOPEKA — The Kansas unemployment rate dipped another 0.1% in February to reach the lowest level in the past decade, at 2.5%.
The jobless figures reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Kansas Department of Labor showed 5.9% of the state’s workforce were jobless 10 years ago, in February 2012. At start of the administration of Gov. Laura Kelly in January 2019 the rate stood at 3.3%.
Onset of the COVID-19 pandemic took unemployment in Kansas from 3.1% in March 2020 into double digits. It gradually fell to 3% by September 2021, just below the pre-pandemic mark. In the subsequent five months, Kansas’ jobless figure was reduced to 2.5% in February.
“Kansas estimates indicate that strong job growth continued in February as private sector employers added 8,100 jobs over the month,” said Emilie Doerksen, an economist with the state Department of Labor. “With this continued growth, the construction, information and trade, transportation and utilities industries are all above pre-pandemic levels.”
The January unemployment figure was 2.6%, while the number for February 2021 was 3.6%.
In Allen County, the jobless rate stood at 2.7% in both February and January, In February of 2021, the unemployment rate was 3.4%.
The state Department of Labor said seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicated nonfarm employment increased by 6,900 from January to February.
Total nonfarm payroll includes private sector and government employers. In Kansas, private sector jobs increased by 8,100 and government jobs decreased by 1,200 in February.
During the past year, seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment climbed by 34,300. All but 1,100 of those additional jobs were in the private sector, officials said.
