Missouri's unemployment rate dips in November

Missouri's unemployment rate was down in November, according to the latest state data.

The state's seasonally adjusted jobless rate dipped to 3.5% in November from 3.7% in October, according to a news release.

Last month, Missouri employers added 7,600 jobs compared with October. Some representative industries with increases during November included professional and business services, up by 3,100 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities, up 3,000; and leisure and hospitality, up 1,600.

Partially offsetting the gains was a 2,900-job decrease in manufacturing, with government employment dropping by 400 jobs over the month, according to the release.

"The increase of two-tenths of a percentage point from April 2021 to June 2021 appeared to be related to a temporary shortage in the supply of semiconductor chips, which caused production slowdowns in some manufacturing industries," officials said in the release.