Kansas employment situation, June 2021

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In Kansas for June 2021, the labor force rose, the number of people working rose, and the unemployment rate rose, all compared to the previous month.

Data released this week from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows a mostly improving employment picture in Kansas for June 2021 when compared to the previous month.

(Click charts and tables for larger versions.)

Using seasonally adjusted data, from May 2021 to June 2021, nonfarm employment in Kansas rose by 8,100 jobs (0.6 percent). Over the year, the number of Kansas nonfarm jobs for June 2021 was higher by 51,400 (3.90 percent) over the same month last year. This is using seasonally adjusted data.

Over the year (June 2020 to June 2021), the Kansas labor force rose by 31,054 people (2.1 percent) using seasonally adjusted data from the household survey, with an increase of 5,565 (0.2 percent) over the last month.

Since last summer, the monthly jobs count has risen and fallen, usually by small amounts, with the June increase reversing declines in April and May. There are now 107,500 more jobs in Kansas than in April 2020, which is the low point since the start of the pandemic. There are 50,500 fewer jobs than in February 2020, just before the pandemic.

The number of unemployed persons rose from May 2021 to June 2021 by 3,228 (6.1 percent). The unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in June, down from 7.0 percent last June and up from 3.7 percent from last month.

Comparing Kansas to the nation: Using seasonal data, the number of Kansas nonfarm jobs is 3.87 percent higher than 12 months ago, while nationally, the same statistic is 5.75 percent higher. Non-seasonal data shows the number of Kansas nonfarm jobs is 4.28 percent higher than 12 months ago, while nationally, the same statistic is 5.79 percent higher.

To learn more about this data and what the employer and household surveys measure, see Visualization: Employment measures. Also, see Counting jobs in Kansas.

Click charts and tables for larger versions.

The following chart shows job changes from the previous month, and we can see the increase in jobs for June following losses in April and May.

In the following chart of job changes from the same month one year ago, the sharp increase from April 2020 (the low point since the start of the pandemic) to April 2021 is easily seen.

In the following chart of unemployment rates, we see that the rate in Kansas is lower than the national rate during the pandemic, as it was before the pandemic. The unemployment rate in Kansas is generally declining, but not every month, as it rose 0.2 percentage points in June.

In the following chart of monthly changes in the labor force for Kansas and the nation, the Kansas labor force has both grown and shrank since the pandemic.

For industry groups, the following charts show the number of employees in various industries in May 2020 and May 2021.

This chart uses the same data, but shows the percent change from June 2020 to June 2021. The Financial Activities category has lower job counts. All other categories show gains, especially Leisure and Hospitality.

The report for this month from the Kansas Department of Labor is here. The report from BLS may be found here.

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