St. Louis area jobless rate jumps slightly
The St. Louis metro area’s jobless rate rose in January as the region lost 5,600 jobs in the month.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the St. Louis area, which includes the Metro East, stood at 8.3 percent in January versus a revised 8 percent in December, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
The seasonally adjusted rate adjusts the figure to account for changes in seasonal employment, such as construction jobs.
Meanwhile, the number of nonfarm jobs in the area totaled 1,337,800 in January, down 5,600 jobs from December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday.
The release of metropolitan unemployment and jobs figures lags behind the national and state unemployment reports, which already have been reported.
The area’s rate for February won’t be released until next month fast cash now.
February’s unemployment rate for the United States was 8.1 percent, while the rates in Missouri and Illinois stood at 8.0 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.
When not adjusting for seasonal differences, 9.1 percent of the St. Louis area’s work force was jobless in the first month of this year, the bureau said.
Nationally, 89 of the metropolitan areas surveyed by the bureau had jobless rates — not seasonally adjusted — in excess of 10 percent in January.
El Centro, Calif., where the unemployment stood at 24.2 percent, tops the list.
sgiegerich@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8172
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