TOPEKA – The state’s October seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.4 percent. This was unchanged from September and up from 4.0 percent in October 2015.

In northwest Kansas, the jobless rate in Ellis County inches up, increasing from 2.9 percent in September to 3.0 percent in October.

Jobless rates fell in Rooks, Russell, Rush and Trego counties. Click the map above for a county-by-county look at October jobless rates.

The preliminary seasonally adjusted job estimates from the Kansas Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate Kansas nonfarm jobs increased by 900 from September. Since last month, Kansas private sector jobs increased by 900. The largest private sector over the month job increase was in Manufacturing.

Over the year, Kansas lost 5,300 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs. Kansas lost 5,700 private sector jobs since October 2015.

Kansas not seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs decreased by 5,400, a 0.4 percent decrease since October 2015. Kansas lost 5,700 private sector jobs since last year, or 0.5 percent. The state gained 10,600 total not seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs over the month. Since September, private sector jobs increased by 5,100, or 0.4 percent.

“Kansas retailers are off to a fast start with their seasonal hiring this year. The number of retail trade jobs in the state increased by 2,400 in October,” said Tyler Tenbrink, Senior Labor Economist, Kansas Department of Labor. “It remains to be seen if this pace will continue, or if employers are hiring their seasonal workers early this year compared to years past.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics did not revise the seasonally adjusted preliminary total nonfarm job estimates for September. Seasonally adjusted private sector jobs were revised upward by 300 jobs, from 1,139,000 to 1,139,300.

Seasonally adjusted estimates for October show that the state’s labor force increased by 333 to 1,483,372. Of those in the labor force, 1,417,937 Kansans were employed and 65,435 were unemployed. This month’s net change in the labor force was attributable to 98 fewer Kansans counted as employed and 431 more unemployed.

Over the year, the labor force decreased by 20,769 persons, with a decrease of 25,601 in employment and an increase of 4,832 in unemployment.

The labor force participation rate was 66.7 percent, unchanged from September and down from 68.0 percent last October.

The November 2016 Labor Report will be released on Friday, December 16.