According to the most recent Kansas Department of Labor Report (March 2011), Kansas unemployment numbers are down slightly from a year ago, and the overall job outlook continues to improve.  Kansas Labor Secretary Karin Brownlee remains “cautiously optimistic” that Kansas may be about to turn the corner in jobs created or retained.

The March 2011 seasonally adjusted *  unemployment rate was 6.8 percent, down from 7.2 percent in March 2010. Overall, five major industries saw net job losses over the past year, the most being in the following areas:

  • Information services lost 2,800 jobs, an 8.8 percent decrease. These losses were primarily in telecommunications.
  • Financial Activities lost 2,600 jobs,  a 3.7% decrease, mostly in finance and insurance.
  • Leisure and  Hospitality lost 2,000 jobs, a 1.8% decrease, mostly in food services and drinking places.
  • Liesure and Hospitality lost 2,000 jobs, a 1.8% decrease.  These losses were primarily in food service and drinking places.

The good news is that  five major industries in Kansas reported gains over the past year, the greatest being in the following areas:

  • Education and Health Services gained 2,400 jobs, a 1.3% increase.  Most of these gains were in health care and social assistance.
  • Manufacturing gained over 600 jobs, a 0.4% increase, and the first over-the-year gain since 2008.
  • Government gained 600 jobs, a 0.2% increase., primarily in local government.

Initial and continued unemployment claims are both down from last year’s levels.

For information on getting a job in Kansas or for help with your resume, cover letter, or other aspects of your job search, visit the Library’s Jobs and Careers neighborhood in the Reference area of the Library. For access  online, you can find great career resources here, and the best resource for Kansas jobs here.

* Some labor statistics are reported as sesonally adjusted.  This means that  certain seasonal occurrences such as  influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools and other recurring seasonal events have been factored into a given economic time series. This permits easier observation and analysis of cyclical, trend and other non-seasonal movements in the data. By eliminating seasonal fluctuations, the series becomes smoother and it is easier to compare data from month to month.