The unemployment rate for April in Wyandotte County was 6 percent, compared to 6.3 percent in March and 6.3 percent one year ago, according to figures released recently by the Kansas Department of Labor.
The Kansas City, Kan., unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, lower than 6.3 percent in March and 6.5 percent one year ago, according to statistics.
Kansas City, Kan., was tied for the highest unemployment rate of the largest cities in Kansas, according to Kansas Department of Labor statistics. Junction City also had a 6.1 percent unemployment rate. Leavenworth and Wichita both had 5.1 percent unemployment, while Topeka had 4.7 percent unemployment.
Labor reports showed that several counties had higher unemployment than Wyandotte County in April, including Neosho County, 7.3 percent; Montgomery County, 6.8 percent; Chautauqua County, 6.5 percent; Wilson County, 6.3 percent; Geary County, 6.2 percent; Linn County, 6.1 percent; and Labette County, 6.1 percent.
The seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment figure for April was 4.3 percent, compared to 4.2 percent in March and 4.5 percent one year ago.
“The number of jobs in manufacturing has fallen by 3,100 from the same month last year. This decline is partly due to temporary layoffs that took place during the survey reference week,” said Tyler Tenbrink, senior labor economist, in a news release. “Also, lower gas prices have led to weakness in the oil and gas drilling industry. These factors combined have resulted in slower overall job growth in Kansas over the year.”
The Kansas Department of Labor stated that seasonally adjusted figures show Kansas gained 11,300 private sector jobs since last year, or 1 percent. Kansas nonfarm jobs increased by 11,700 jobs, a 0.8 percent increase since April 2014. Since last month, Kansas declined by 2,900 seasonally adjusted private sector jobs, or 0.3 percent, according to state figures. The state lost 2,300 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs, a 0.2 percent decrease since March.