January unemployment rates for Missouri released

The unemployment rate remains at near-record lows in Missouri. According to the Missouri Department of Economic Development, employment increased by 9-thousand jobs in January while the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased slightly to 3.5 percent over the month. The unemployment rate had reached a record low of 3 percent starting in July 2018, before edging up a tenth of a point in November 2018 and again in December 2018. The rate had remained at 3.2 percent through April 2019 before decreasing by a tenth of a point in May 2019. It then began a slow increase, reaching 3.4 percent in October 2019, where it remained for the remainder of 2019. Employment in construction increased by 2,000, while manufacturing had a smaller gain of 700 jobs.