Preliminary data from the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.8% for January, unchanged from December but up from 3.1% in January 2024. The labor force participation rate in Kansas rose to 67.3% in January.

Kansas’ seasonally adjusted job estimates show a decrease of 3,600 nonfarm payroll jobs from December, including both private sector and government positions. Private sector jobs fell by 2,600, while government jobs declined by 1,000. The largest job gains in the private sector were in trade, transportation, and utilities (+800 jobs) and manufacturing (+600 jobs). The biggest loss was in leisure and hospitality, which shed 3,800 jobs.

Compared to January 2024, Kansas has added 7,800 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs, including 7,200 in the private sector and 600 in government.

LMI, along with BLS, produces monthly job and labor force estimates using surveys from BLS and the Census Bureau. Each March, estimates from the previous year are revised based on actual data from employers’ tax reports and other sources. The benchmarked data is now available.