Missouri unemployment rate rises in December

Missouri's unemployment rate rose 1.3 percentage points to end the year in December.

The state's seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 5.8% last month, according to a news release. That's up from a revised rate of 4.5% in November.

"The civilian labor force increased by more than 70,000 over the month," state officials said in the release. "The labor market still showed substantial losses from 2019 levels, and ongoing COVID infections pose a threat of continued economic challenges."

Missouri’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force amounted to nearly 3.1 million people in December. Of those, roughly 2.9 million were employed last month.

During December, Missouri employers added 10,400 jobs. Job increases were led by trade, transportation and utilities, up 6,300 jobs, and professional and business services, up 3,100 jobs.

The U.S. unemployment rate in December was 6.7%, according to the release. Missouri’s unemployment rate has been below the national level for 69 consecutive months.

The latest unemployment rate in the Springfield metropolitan statistical area was 3.2% in November, according to past reporting.