Missouri unemployment rate decreases

Missouri's unemployment rate was down in December.

The Show-Me State's jobless rate was 3.3% last month, compared with 3.5% in November, according to a news release from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. The data is seasonally adjusted.

During December, Missouri employers added 16,700 nonfarm jobs compared with the revised November figure. Goods-producing industries gained 3,900 jobs over the month, mostly in construction, and service-providing industries jumped by 13,300 jobs. One partially offsetting industry was government, which dropped by 500 jobs over the month.

"Recovery from COVID-19-related layoffs continued with an increase of 77,600 jobs from December 2020 to December 2021," state officials said in the release.