By Trish Svoboda

The Labor Market Information Services (LMIS) division of the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) have released preliminary estimates. These show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 2.8% in April, marking an increase from 2.7% in both March of the same year and April 2023.

Secretary Amber Schultz said that the Kansas unemployment rate in April was 2.8%. She also mentioned that since October 2021, Kansas has kept the unemployment rate under 3.0%.

The seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas reveal an increase in total nonfarm, payroll employment by 2,000 from March. The term ‘total nonfarm’ includes both private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs saw an increase of 1,700 over the month, while government jobs saw an increase of 300.

Kansas saw a continuation of job additions in April, with an increase in total nonfarm job estimates by 2,000 jobs over the month. In the past three months, the state has witnessed significant job growth, with an average monthly gain of 4,900 jobs.

From April 2023, Kansas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have seen an increase of 23,000. This change can be attributed to an increase of 17,500 jobs in the private sector and an increase of 5,500 in government jobs.

The Labor Report for May 2024 is set to be released on Friday, June 21.