The latest jobs report for Kansas is a mixed bag.
Kansas’ unemployment rate fell slightly for the second month in a row, but the state Department of Labor says job growth has stalled.
According to a report released Friday, the unemployment rate for April was 3.8 percent, down from March's rate of 3.9 percent. It’s also down from April of last year, which was 4.2 percent.
Locally, Sedgwick County’s unemployment rate dropped sharply, from 4.6 in March to 3.9 in April.
The Kansas Department of Labor says the number of people who received unemployment benefits in last month was down by 6,700 from last year, but that's not all good news, as the state lost about 3,000 private sector jobs since March, particularly in the Leisure and Hospitality industry. Over the past year, Kansas lost about 600 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs; losses were felt in industries such as construction and oil and gas production.
The state's labor force also shrank by more than 3,000 people between March and April, meaning a smaller percentage of workers say they're unemployed.
With additional reporting from Stephen Koranda.
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Aileen LeBlanc is news director at KMUW. Follow her on Twitter @Aileen_LeBlanc.
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