Kansas Department of Labor
Ellis County saw a small uptick in unemployment in July from 2.2 percent in June to 2.4 percent.
Rooks County's rate went up by half a percent, and Trego County's rate also increased slightly by .3 percent. Overall unemployment in northwest Kansas remains low, ranging from 2 to 3 percent as reported by the Kansas Department of Labor report released Friday.
Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information Services division of the Kansas Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment state rate of 2.7 percent in July. This is a decrease from 2.8 percent in June and unchanged from 2.7 percent in July 2022.
Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 2,000 from June. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs increased by 1,500 over the month, while government increased by 500.
“Average nominal hourly earnings in the private sector increased 3.2 percent over the year in July, faster than the rate of inflation in the Midwest,” said labor economist, Nathan Kessler. “The result was a small over-the-year increase in real hourly earnings as the Kansas labor market remains strong and inflation continues to moderate.”
Since July 2022 Kansas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 23,100. This change is due to an increase of 18,700 private sector jobs and an increase of 4,400 government jobs.
The August 2023 Labor Report will be released Sept. 15.