Preliminary estimates reported by the Kansas Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.4 percent in June. This was down from 3.5 percent in May and up from 3.3 percent in June 2018.

“June estimates show a 0.9 percent decline in state government jobs over the year,” said Secretary Delía García. “The main components of state government jobs are state hospitals, state universities and state agencies.”

The jobless rate in Ellis County was unchanged at 2.4 percent, while the unemployment rate in Rooks County fell from 4.8 percent in May to 4.5 percent. The Rooks County economy has taken two big blows recently with the bankruptcies at Dessin-Fournir and Plainville Livestock Commission.

Logan, Gove, Scott and Hamilton counties all posted unemployment rates of 1.9 percent, and Rush (3 percent) and Decatur (3.1 percent) were the only northwest Kansas counties with jobless rates at or above 3 percent.

Seasonally adjusted job estimates indicate total Kansas nonfarm jobs decreased by 900 from May. Private sector jobs, a subset of total nonfarm jobs, increased by 600 from the previous month.

Since June 2018, Kansas gained 11,000 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs and 10,000 private sector jobs.

“The unemployment rate in Kansas fell to 3.4 percent in June as the result of a significant decline in the number of unemployed people in the state,” said Labor Economist, Emilie Doerksen. “This also reverses the slight upward trend over recent months and extends the current period of low unemployment.”