Kansas unemployment rate 5.9 percent in August
Kansas unemployment rate holds steady at 5.9 percent in August, up slightly from year ago
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Despite a drop in the number of unemployment benefits being paid, the Kansas jobless rate remained stuck at 5.9 percent in August.
The data released late Thursday by the Kansas Department of Labor shows that the unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in August 2012.
Labor Secretary Lana Gordon says the drop in unemployment claims from nearly 132,000 in July to 103,500 in August was an indication of an improving labor market. There were more than 140,000 unemployment benefits paid in August 2012.
The unemployment rate has been below 6 percent since January 2012, dropping to as low as 5.5 percent from November 2012 through February 2013.
A labor economist says private sector job growth did increase in August, but there were still signs of softness in the market.
