Kansas jobs in May down slightly from a year ago

The number of jobs in Kansas shrank in May slightly compared to May of 2015, down about 700 jobs out of a total of 1.4 million jobs, according to the Kansas Department of Labor.

Of that, the private sector jobs were up just 400. Overall Kansas job growth has remained stagnant as rural areas lost jobs from sharp declines in the farming and oil and gas sectors, and because construction, information and manufacturing sectors are cutting jobs.

Government jobs, down about 1,100 statewide for the year, have been under stress from state and local budget cuts.

The state unemployment rate was 3.7 percent.

But the Wichita-area economy, long the state’s worst-performing area, is doing a little better.

The number of jobs and number of people working rose about 3,700 from a year ago, putting job growth at 1.2 percent over the year. That is still significantly slower than the nation’s rate of job growth.

This story was originally published June 17, 2016 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Kansas jobs in May down slightly from a year ago."