Nonfarm payroll employment in Missouri increased by 3,300 jobs in September, on a seasonally adjusted basis. With an upward revision of 1,800 in the August data, nonfarm payrolls have grown by 6,100 jobs since July.
In September, employment grew in durable goods manufacturing (+2,200); construction (+1,300); transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+1,200); and accommodation and food services (+1,200).
September’s job gains helped push the over-the-year growth figure up to 39,300 for September, an increase of 1.4 percent from year-earlier employment.
Over-the-year job growth was noted in most reported industries:
- professional and business services (+11,500)
- health care and social assistance (+9,800)
- durable goods manufacturing (+6,200)
- accommodation and food services (+4,500)
- financial activities (+2,300)
At 3.2 percent, Missouri’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is now 0.4 points lower than it was a year ago and is at its lowest level since January 2000, when the rate was 3.1 percent.
The state’s rate is half a percentage point lower than the comparable U.S. rate and has been lower than the national rate for 41 consecutive months.
Missouri’s not-seasonally-adjusted rate for September was 2.6 percent; the comparable U.S. figure was 3.6 percent.