The latest numbers from the Kansas Department of Labor suggest that more people in Hutchinson were looking for work in July compared to June. The unemployment rate in the city jumped to 7.1% in July compared to the 6.7% rate in June. That number is also higher then the rate in July of last year when it was at 6.9%. 1-thousand, 480 residents were looking for jobs last month according to the report.
The rate for Reno County also jumped to 5.8% in July, compared with 5.5% in June and 5.7% in July of last year. In the county, 1-thousand, 993 were looking for work, however most of those were in the city of Hutchinson.
All of the surrounding counties also saw increases in their rates in July. Harvey County is now at 5.7%, Kingman at 5.4%, McPherson at 4.5%, Pratt at 4.6%, Rice at 4.9% and Stafford at 5.4%. Sedgwick County with its much larger population saw its rate increase from 6.7% in June to 7.1% in July.
At the state level, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.9 percent, up from 5.8 percent in June 2013 and up from 5.8 percent in July 2012.
Over the past three months we have observed an increase in the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate,” said Lana Gordon, Secretary of Labor. She says “part of the reason of increases in the previous months was due to more individuals entering the labor force.”
The state added 800 private sector jobs in July and has gained 23,300 private sector jobs over the past 12 months. However, manufacturing shed 1,900 jobs in July, the second straight month of declines, which labor officials say indicates weakness in the sector.