Area job growth rate trails the national average

Nonfarm employment in the Kansas City area grew 1.2 percent from August 2014 to August 2015, a rate outclassed by the national growth rate of 2.1 percent.

Regional commissioner Stanley Suchman of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday that area employment has registered a net gain of at least 10,000 a month since September 2013. But that hasn’t kept pace with the national rate.

The Kansas City report put total area employment, based on establishment payroll reports, at 1,033,700 in August.

The Missouri side of the metro area, with 55 percent of the area’s workforce, added a net 7,200 jobs for a 1.3 percent gain over the 12 months. The Kansas side, with 45 percent of the workforce, gained a net 5,300 jobs for 1.2 percent growth.

The metro numbers for August were issued two days before the national numbers for September are to be published.

Unlike nonseasonal metropolitan rates, national figures are calculated on a seasonally adjusted basis, factoring in typical fluctuations in employment and unemployment patterns based on the time of year. Last month’s national jobless rate, seasonally adjusted, was 5.1 percent, compared with 5.2 percent non-adjusted.

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Area job growth rate trails the national average."