KS Unemployment

Collecting unemployment data for the state of Kansas is the responsibility of the Cabinet level Department of Labor, which is a part of the executive branch of the federal Government of the United States of America. The division of the Department of Labor that is delegated to collect GA unemployment and job data is the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which must also compile job data for the entire nation.

When reporting this information, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes reports that address GA unemployment in relation to both statewide figures and major metropolitan areas. When examining GA unemployment data, there are six metropolitan areas which the Bureau of Labor Statistics focuses upon.

These major metropolitan areas which affect KS unemployment figures are: the Kansas City metropolitan area and the St. Joseph metropolitan area, both of which are located in Missouri and Kansas; the Lawrence metropolitan area, the Manhattan metropolitan area, the Topeka metropolitan area, and the Wichita metropolitan area, the last four of which are located entirely in Kansas.

The most recent six month period for which KS unemployment information is available is March 2010 through August 2010. Throughout this period, the unemployment rate has remained around 6.5 percent. The only two exceptions during this time were May and August, when the number of individuals eligible for KS unemployment benefits rose to 6.6 percent. The KS unemployment rate has remained stable despite the size of the work force in the state declining throughout the period.

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