Missouri's unemployment rate ticks up in May

Missouri's unemployment rate was up in May, according to newly released data.

The jobless rate in the state last month was 3.5%, up from a revised April rate of 3.4% and 2.9% in May 2023, according to a news release from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. The data is seasonally adjusted.

“Missouri's unemployment rate has been at or below the national rate for more than nine years," MERIC officials said in the release, pointing to a U.S. unemployment rate of 4% in May.

In May, Missouri's nonfarm payroll ranks rose by 5,900 jobs to nearly 3.1 million compared with a revised April figure.

Among growing industries were leisure and hospitality, which was up by 1,700 jobs month over month; trade, transportation and utilities, up 1,400; and financial activities, up 1,200. Offsetting industries included private education and health services, down 500 jobs, and information, down 500.