Employment and the labor force rose in Kansas in December 2019 compared to the prior month. Kansas continues to perform well in year-over-year growth when compared to the nation.
Data released last week from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows an improving picture for employment in Kansas for December 2019. (Click charts and tables for larger versions.)
Using seasonally adjusted data, from November 2019 to December 2019, nonfarm employment in Kansas rose by 3,400 (0.2 percent). Over the year, the number of Kansas nonfarm jobs for December 2019 rose by 20,100 (1.4 percent) over last December. This is using seasonally adjusted data. The non-adjusted figure is higher at 21,500 (1.5 percent).
Over the year (December 2018 to December 2019), the Kansas labor force is up by 9,915 (0.7 percent) using seasonally adjusted data, with an increase of 0.2 percent over the last month. Non-seasonal data shows an increase of 9,486 (0.6 percent) in the labor force over the year.
The number of unemployed persons rose from November 2019 to December 2019 by 280 (0.6 percent). The unemployment rate was 3.2 percent in December, down 0.1 percentage points from one year ago, and up 0.1 percentage points November.
Comparing Kansas to the nation: Using seasonal data, Kansas nonfarm jobs increased by 1.41 percent over the past 12 months, while national jobs grew by 1.40 percent. Non-seasonal data shows Kansas nonfarm jobs rising by 1.50 percent over the past 12 months, while national jobs grew by 1.41 percent.
Click charts and tables for larger versions.
In the following chart of showing job changes from the same month one year ago, Kansas is always below the national rate except for September and December, when Kansas was nearly the same as the national rate. The recent trend shows Kansas doing well compared to the nation, just slightly below the national rate.
In the following chart showing job changes from the previous month, Kansas has outperformed the nation in some months and is doing well in recent months.
