State reports flat unemployment rate in January

Missouri's unemployment rate was flat in January, according to the latest data from the state.

The Show Me State's jobless rate last month was 3.3%, the same as in December, 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 eight years," officials said in the release, pointing to a national rate of 3.7% in January.

Missouri's nonfarm payroll employment was roughly 3 million last month, down by 800 jobs from a revised December figure.

Industries that reported month-over-month increases included professional and business services, at 4,300 jobs; financial activities, 1,400; and leisure and hospitality, 900. Offsetting industries included trade, transportation and utilities, down 3,400 jobs, and private education and health services, down 400.