Thursday, February 5, 2009

December Employment Numbers Released

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the December 2008 local area employment figures yesterday. The Kansas City area’s unemployment rate surged to 6.5 percent, the highest point it has been since June 2004. The rate would have been even higher were it not for a 6,276 member drop in the area’s overall labor force. For more information on how the unemployment rate is calculated visit our glossary.
Despite the jump, the area unemployment rate is still lower than the nation’s (7.2 percent) and is right in the middle of the pack compared to other large metros. Of the 50 largest metros, Kansas City’s unemployment rate was the 28th highest. Detroit led the way at 10.6 percent and Riverside-San Bernardino was second-highest at 10.1 percent.
The lowest unemployment rates were in Salt Lake City (3.8 percent) and Oklahoma City (4.6 percent).

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