Job picture shows mixed results in Kansas and Missouri

Employers in Kansas added a net 15,400 jobs from March 2014 to March 2015 and payroll gains in Missouri totaled 36,200 over those 12 months, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But the two states were among a majority of states that had employment declines from February to March, according to the bureau. Establishment payroll job loss over the month was estimated at 10,300 in Missouri and 2,400 in Kansas.

The unemployment rate in Kansas held steady at 4.2 percent in March. The jobless rate in Missouri ticked up slightly to 5.6 percent from 5.5 percent a month earlier.

The statistics bureau said 23 states had jobless rate declines in March from February, 12 states had increases and 15 states had no change.

The west north central states in the Midwest, including Missouri and Kansas, had the nation’s lowest unemployment rate of 4.2 percent compared with other geographic regions.

This story was originally published April 21, 2015 at 10:05 AM with the headline "Job picture shows mixed results in Kansas and Missouri."