Missouri jobless rate hits 2009 high

Missouri unemployment reached a new year-to-date zenith in June by climbing to 9.3 percent, according to the state Department of Economic Development.

The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate last month jumped to 9.3 percent, with an estimated 278,000 Missourians unemployed, from 9 percent in May.

The U.S. unemployment rate in June was 9.5 percent, with an estimated 14.7 million Americans jobless, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed Americans has grown by 7.2 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by 4.6 percentage points, according to the BLS.

Missouri nonfarm payroll employment in June decreased by 7,400 on a seasonally adjusted basis. The declines were concentrated in administrative and support services, manufacturing and local government - three sectors that together surrendered 7,200 jobs, according to DED.

Nonfarm payrolls in the Kansas City and St. Louis metropolitan areas experienced substantial decreases in June on a seasonally adjusted basis, but employment remained relatively stable in the state's other metropolitan areas, according to DED. St. Louis lost 9,100 jobs, and Kansas City saw employment decline by 3,600 jobs.

DED will release county-by-county unemployment numbers next week.