Missouri unemployment rate dips

Missouri's unemployment rate decreased in October as employers added more jobs.

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate last month was 4.6%, down from a revised September rate of 4.8%, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center's monthly jobs report.

During October, the state's seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment was nearly 2.8 million, representing a 6,400-job increase compared with September. Industries with increases included trade, transportation and utilities, at 3,200 jobs; professional and business services, at 2,800; and educational and health services, at 1,600. Offsetting the increases included losses in manufacturing, at 5,700 jobs; government, at 2,200; and leisure and hospitality, at 1,100.

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area's unemployment rate was 3.4% in September, down from 5.8% in August, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.