Mo. payroll ranks decrease in March

While the state’s unemployment rate was flat at 4.2 percent, Missouri’s nonfarm payroll employment decreased in March following a February increase.

Employment declined by 1,500 jobs last month, compared to a revised 10,700-job boost the previous month, according to a Missouri Department of Economic Development news release.

Industries that added jobs in March included:
    •    accommodation and food services, by 2,200;
    •    transportation and utilities, by 2,200; and
    •    financial activities, by 1,400.

Compared to March 2015, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has dropped by 1.1 percentage points. The number of Missourians without jobs fell by over 30,000 during that time, according to the release.

The U.S. unemployment rate in March was 5 percent. Measured by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the figure is not seasonally adjusted.