While the U.S. at large gained workers at a healthy pace last month, unemployment in Kansas is on the rise again. Kansas shed 5,600 jobs last month, sending the unemployment rate up to 4.1 percent in July. That’s up from its level of 3.8 percent in June.
Nationally, the U.S. gained 255,000 jobs last month. As the Topeka Capital-Journal notes, the new job numbers could foretell further economic woes for the Sunflower State. The largest drop occurred in the area of professional and business services.
The private sector alone lost almost 5,000 jobs last month.
Democrats seized on the latest figures, calling them “very sad.” Rep. Brandon Whipple of Wichita tweeted, “We must do better if we want Kansas to continue to be a place of opportunity.”
Meanwhile,a new editorial in The Kansas City Starcalled the new jobs report “an utter disaster” for Kansas and Gov. Sam Brownback.