MO outpaces bordering states in 1Q employment

Missouri added 27,500 jobs in the first quarter, outpacing all eight of its neighboring states, according to the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

State employment figures for the three months ended March 31:

• Arkansas added 4,800 jobs;
• Illinois added 22,000 jobs;
• Iowa added 9,900 jobs;
• Kansas added 12,300 jobs;
• Kentucky added 17,600 jobs;
• Nebraska lost 500 jobs;
• Oklahoma added 14,800 jobs; and
• Tennessee added 17,800 jobs.

Missouri manufacturers contributed the most jobs to the state's total during the first quarter, with 7,000. The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.4 percent in March, a 39-month low. Comparatively, the U.S. unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in March, according to the release.