KDOL releases February employment report

Preliminary estimates reported by the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.4 percent in February. This was unchanged from January and down from 3.5 percent in February 2018.

“With the labor force staying steady over the month, the unemployment rate remained at 3.4 percent for February,” said Acting Secretary Delía Garcia.

Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs decreased by 2,200 from January.

Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, decreased by 3,300 from the previous month.

“Winter storms had a negative impact on Kansas job growth in February, especially in the construction industry,” said Labor Economist, Emilie Doerksen. “Estimates for the construction industry show a significant decline from January, down 1,800 jobs over the month. This contributed to the overall decrease in total nonfarm jobs in the state.”

Since February 2018, Kansas gained 8,800 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs and 7,200 private sector jobs.