unemployment

Newly released figures show Missouri's unemployment rate declined in September and October and now stands at 6.5 percent.

The state Department of Economic Development released employment figures Tuesday. The two months were combined in the same report because of the partial federal government shutdown in October.

Payrolls in September declined by 5,500 jobs, including a drop of 3,700 jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector. Trade, transportation and utilities increased by 3,300 jobs.

Legislation awaiting action by Gov. Jay Nixon seeks to comply with federal mandates for Missouri's unemployment benefits system.

The measure also could make it more difficult for workers to receive jobless benefits if they are let go after an unapproved absence or if they knowingly violate a company rule.

For the month of April, Missouri employers added more than 12,000 new jobs while the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.6 percent.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) has introduced a new bill that's meant to make it easier for unemployed workers to go back to school. 

Davis said currently unemployed workers risk losing their unemployment benefits if they go to a university or community college to retrain for a new career.

To help close the loophole, Davis said the new bill, called the Opportunity KNOCKS Act, would expand the definition of what constitutes a training program.

Clients of the Career Center in Moberly, Mo. may have to travel as far as Columbia to meet their unemployment needs if the center closes as scheduled later this month.

Missouri's unemployment rate inched up slightly in February although the state also posted gains in the number of jobs.

Figures released Tuesday by the state Department of Economic Development show Missouri's unemployment rate was 6.7 percent last month, up one-tenth of a percentage point from January.

Seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll rose by 3,900 jobs in February, with gains in the construction industry offset partially by loses in food services.

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Missouri’s unemployment rate is now at its lowest point in four years.

November’s jobless rate is at 6.7 percent, down from 6.9 percent in October.  At the same time, though, the state lost 6,800 non-farm jobs last month.  John Fougere is with the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

“There’ll be blips from time to time, but we never focus on any one month of data when it comes to the number of jobs gained or lost, but instead the overall trend," Fougere said.  "Right now the overall trend of Missouri’s economy appears to be positive.”

Growing across the Midwest is a strain of hybrid corn that should perform well under the driest conditions. Harvest Public Media’s Rick Fredericksen says this summer’s parched farmland is providing an ideal test.

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