In Kansas for July 2023, the labor force fell, the number of jobs grew, and the unemployment rate fell, all by small amounts when compared to the previous month. Over the year, Kansas is slightly below the middle of the states in job growth.
Data released from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows a slowly improving employment picture in Kansas for Julu when compared to the previous month.
(Click charts and tables for larger versions.)
Using seasonally adjusted data, from June 2023 to July 2023, nonfarm employment in Kansas rose by 2,000 jobs (0.1 percent). Over the year, the number of Kansas nonfarm jobs for July 2023 was higher by 23,100 (1.6 percent) over the same month last year. This is using seasonally adjusted data.
Over the year (July 2022 to July 2023), the Kansas labor force rose by 15,737 people (1.0 percent) using seasonally adjusted data from the household survey, with a decline of 518 (0.0 percent) over the last month.
When ChatGPT looked at this table, it concluded:
- The labor force in Kansas saw a net increase over the year, but there was a slight dip in the last month of the data.
- The number of unemployed persons increased over the year but saw significant decreases in the last two months.
- The unemployment rate remained stable over the year but showed slight decreases in the last two months.
- Nonfarm employment consistently increased over the year, indicating job growth in sectors other than agriculture.
The data provides a positive outlook for Kansas’s employment scenario, with a growing labor force and increasing nonfarm employment. However, the slight increase in unemployed persons over the year suggests that not all new entrants to the labor force found jobs immediately.
There are now 175,000 (13.8 percent) more jobs in Kansas than in April 2020, which is the low point since the pandemic’s start. There are 16,600 (1.2 percent) more jobs than in February 2020, just before the pandemic. These are counts of nonfarm jobs with employers in Kansas, without regard to the residence of the employee.
Considering employed people from the household survey, there are now 168,785 (12.9 percent) more working people in Kansas than in April 2020, and 21,782 (1.5 percent) more than in February 2020. The household survey counts Kansas residents with nonfarm jobs, without regard to the location of the job.
The number of unemployed persons fell from June 2023 to July 2023 by 1,499 persons (3.5 percent). The unemployment rate was 2.7 percent in July 2023, down by 0.1 percentage point from the last month, and unchanged over the year.
Comparing Kansas to the nation: Using seasonal data, the number of Kansas nonfarm jobs is 1.62 percent higher than 12 months ago, while nationally, the same statistic is 2.20 percent higher. Non-seasonal data shows the number of Kansas nonfarm jobs is 21.57 percent higher than 12 months ago, while nationally, the same statistic is 2.13 percent higher.
When ChatGPT looked at this table, it concluded:
- The labor force in Kansas saw a consistent increase over the year, indicating more people entering the workforce.
- The number of unemployed persons increased from June 2022 to June 2023 but saw a decrease from July 2022 to July 2023. This suggests that while more people were seeking jobs initially, the situation improved by July 2023.
- The unemployment rate saw a slight increase from June 2022 to June 2023 but decreased from July 2022 to July 2023, reflecting the changes in the number of unemployed persons.
- Nonfarm employment consistently increased over the year, indicating positive job growth in sectors other than agriculture.
Overall, while there was an initial increase in unemployment, the situation seems to have improved by July 2023, with more people finding jobs, especially in non-agricultural sectors.
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.
Chart 1a shows job changes for Kansas and the nation from the previous month, and we can see positive changes for Kansas over the past year except for three months.
Chart 1b shows job changes for Kansas and the nation from the same month one year ago. In recent most recent months, the growth in Kansas has been similar to the nation.
In Chart 3, showing unemployment rates for Kansas and the nation, we see that the rate in Kansas is lower than the national rate, as it had been before the pandemic. The unemployment rate in Kansas is little changed over the last nine months.
Chart 2a shows monthly changes in the labor force for Kansas and the nation. The Kansas labor force has both expanded and contracted since the pandemic, as has the national labor force.
For industry groups, the following chart 6b shows the number of employees in various industries in July 2022 and July 2023.
Chart 6a uses the same data but shows the percent change for the same period. All industry groups have gains except for Trade, Transportation and Utilities, Information, and Financial Activities.
The rate of job growth in Kansas over the year had been lowest in the nation for some months of 2022, but has improved since then. Despite a small growth in jobs in June, Kansas ranks thirty-first in job growth over the year. The following chart shows the monthly and annual change in the number of jobs in the states, along with the rank of the state.
The report for this month from the Kansas Department of Labor is here. The report from BLS may be found here. It appears there are no news releases or social media posts from Governor Kelly on this topic.
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