Kansas Unemployment Stats and News
Kansas Unemployment Stats
Current and Historical Kansas Stats Analysis
The most recent unemployment rate in Kansas was reported as 4.4 percent (September 2016), which is a slight increase from 4.0 percent over the past 12 months. This appears to be tied to the decline in the oil industry, which has historically been one of the state’s largest industries.
While the unemployment rate has increased slightly, the economy has been growing consistently since the last recession in 2012. In fact, the unemployment rate met pre-recession rates in 2015.
The state has also been successful in growing the number of jobs available year over year in the past five years and Kansas workers have matched the demand by being a state with a large labor force participation. As a result, Kansas has been able to maintain an unemployment rate below the national average through the recession to today. Many economists anticipate that the state will continue to see growth in the number of jobs available through the next decade as much as by 7 percent.
Why Unemployment Stats Are Valuable
Kansas Unemployment Stats Resources
Kansas Labor Information Center (KLIC) is a fantastic resource for statistics developed by the Kansas Department of Labor. Within this site, the following market information can be found:
- Kansas Economic Report - An annual report that contains information on employment projections, estimates related to the labor force, industries to focus on and more.
- Kansas Employment Outlook (Projections) - Provides 10-year projections of growth or decline for various occupations in the state at the county level.
- Kansas Job Vacancy Survey - Contains survey results of Kansas employers and their job demands.
- Kansas Wage Survey - Displays information on wages and salaries for various occupations as reported by companies in Kansas.
- Local Area Unemployment Statistics
- Local Area Profiles - Contains information on top employers, growing occupations, average wage rates and employment rates across different industries for the local area.
- Unemployment Insurance (UI) Data - Provides oversight information on unemployment resources including resources contributed and benefits allocated.
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Kansas Unemployment News
Kansas Unemployment in the News
One initiative that the state of Kansas started to increase the stability of the state economy was passing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in 2015. This act was created to increase efforts in education, training, and general support provided to the labor market. As a result, there should be a higher number of skilled workers available for employers. In order to accomplish this goal, two main programs were put into effect. The Kansas Department of Labor opened federally funded workforce centers and developed education, literacy, and vocational training programs by utilizing grant money.
While the nation as a whole has continued to see the unemployment rate go down, Kansas has experienced increases over the past 12 months. The main driver for this comes from amount that comes from natural resources like oil production. In the past two decades, the amount of oil drilling that could be completed has decreased. This means that many workers are having to turn to other industries for employment.
One industry that displaced workers have turned to is the aerospace industry. Many aircraft corporations have offices in Kansas City such as Spirit, Learjet, and Raytheon. Kansas City in general (especially in Overland Park) has experienced large increases in corporate growth with companies like Sprint, Embarq and Garmin choosing to build corporate headquarters in the popular location.
The most popular occupations though that Kansas residents should look to for future success would be in healthcare. The Kansas Department of Labor completed a recent study identifying the highest paying occupations that would be in top demand in the next decade. Nine of the top 10 occupations on the list were healthcare related. It is estimated that over 23,000 jobs will be added to the local economy in the next 10 years.
Sources:
- https://www.getkansasbenefits.gov/FAQs/EligibiltyDisqual.aspx
- https://www.getkansasbenefits.gov/FAQs/CalcWBATBA.aspx
- https://www.getkansasbenefits.gov/Files/PDF/kbenp0969.pdf
- https://www.getkansasbenefits.gov/Files/PDF/K-BENP0950Rev9-16.pdf
- https://www.dol.ks.gov/UI/EnSec10_DBR.aspx
- https://www.getkansasbenefits.gov/Files/PDF/kbenp0959.pdf
- https://www.getkansasbenefits.gov/Files/PDF/kbenp0950.pdf
- https://www.getkansasbenefits.gov/FAQs/EligibiltyDisqual.aspx
- https://www.getkansasbenefits.gov/FAQs/Appeal.aspx
- https://www.getkansasbenefits.gov/FAQs/Payment.aspx
- https://www.dol.ks.gov/KDOLHistory.aspx
- http://www.dol.ks.gov/Uploads/high_demand_jobs_news_release.pdf
- http://www.dol.ks.gov/Uploads/LR_Sept2016_News_Release.pdf
- http://www.dol.ks.gov/Uploads/JVS_Release_2016.pdf
- http://www.dol.ks.gov/Uploads/Wage_report_2016.pdf
- https://klic.dol.ks.gov/admin/gsipub/htmlarea/uploads/Economic%20Report%202016.pdf
- https://klic.dol.ks.gov/admin/gsipub/htmlarea/Uploads/LMIS%20Products.pdf