Missouri Adds 3,400 Jobs in May as Unemployment Holds at 3.8%

2 articles · Updated · californiademocrat.com · Jun 24

Missouri’s nonfarm payroll rose to about 2,996,800 in May, up 3,400 from April, while the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed at 3.8%.
Private employers added 2,400 jobs and government added 1,000, with gains led by education and health services at 2,100, leisure and hospitality at 1,900, and trade, transportation and utilities at 1,500.
Financial activities lost 2,100 jobs and professional and business services shed 1,700, while manufacturing fell 400 even as mining, logging and construction gained 800.
119,325 Missourians were unemployed in May, down 2,523 from April; the labor force participation rate was 63.4% and the employment-population ratio 61%, both above national levels.
From May 2025 to May 2026, Missouri added 1,600 jobs and cut its unemployment rate from 4.0% to 3.8%, though government employment over the year fell by a combined 8,200.