For the Wichita metropolitan area in July 2019, the labor force is up, the number of unemployed persons is down, the unemployment rate is down, and the number of people working is up when compared to the same month one year ago. Seasonal data shows small increases in labor force and jobs from June.
Data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows an improving employment situation for the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Click charts and tables for larger versions.
Total nonfarm employment rose from 295,700 last July to 301,500 this July. That’s an increase of 5,800 jobs, or 2.0 percent. (This data is not seasonally adjusted, so month-to-month comparisons are not valid.) For the same period, employment in the nation grew by 1.5 percent. The unemployment rate in July 2019 was 4.0 percent, down from 4.2 percent one year ago.
Considering seasonally adjusted data from the household survey, the labor force rose by 227 persons (0.1 percent) in July 2019 from June 2019, the number of unemployed persons fell by 141 (1.3 percent), and the unemployment rate was 3.6 percent, unchanged from June. The number of employed persons not working on farms rose to 299,680 in July from 299,312 the prior month, an increase of 368 persons, or 0.1 percent.
The following chart of the monthly change in labor force and employment shows the rise in employment and labor force after several months of decline for both measures.
The following chart of changes from the same month one year ago shows s consecutive months of decline in the rate of growth of both employment and labor force. The values are growing, but at a slower pace each month since January.
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