Kansas City area labor market improved slightly in April

The unemployment rate for the Kansas City area ticked down slightly from March to April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, but it was a bit higher than a year ago.

The rate moved to 5.2 percent in April from 5.3 percent in March, the bureau said. That represented about 1,900 fewer active job hunters in April compared with March.

On the employment side, which measures growth in establishment payroll jobs, the bureau reported area job growth of about 3,600 jobs from March to April.

Over the previous 12 months, Kansas City area employers have added about 16,200 jobs, a growth rate of 1.6 percent, the bureau said.

The year-over-year trend wasn’t as positive in the unemployment data. The area’s 5.2 percent jobless rate was up from 5.1 percent in April 2014.

The area’s unemployment rate for April 2015 put the Kansas City area among just 43 out of 387 metro areas studied by the labor bureau that had a higher jobless rate than in April 2014.

This story was originally published June 3, 2015 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Kansas City area labor market improved slightly in April."