October 2018 (August Data)

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

Click the image above to download the latest employment-by-industry infographic.

UPCOMING EVENTS

International Relations Council "Your Global Future"
Oct. 16
Union Station
More information»

LearnX 2018 with
Graduate! Network
Oct. 18-19
Kauffman Foundation
Conference Center
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2018 Workforce
& Education Summit:
Cross-sector Collaboration
Dec. 4
Kauffman Foundation
Conference Center
More information»

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The Workforce Indicators Newsletter is published monthly by the Mid-America Regional Council. MARC is the nonprofit association of local governments and metropolitan planning organization for the bistate Kansas City region.

600 Broadway, Suite 200
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Data sources: Kansas Department of Labor, Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), The Conference Board and EMSI. Regional data includes Franklin, Johnson, Leavenworth, Linn, Miami and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and Bates, Caldwell, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Jackson, Lafayette, Platte and Ray counties in Missouri.

KC metro employment grows, but others grow faster

Kansas City Metro employment rose to 1,103,200 in August, an increase of 18,100 from one year ago. Growth in the construction industry was a key driver in this increase, as it added 5,000 jobs in the past year. This increase should not be a surprise to anyone driving around town and observing the many cranes currently in operation. With construction at the new KCI airport slated to begin soon, we can expect to see construction employment continue to grow in the coming years.

Despite this solid employment number, Kansas City still lags behind several of our peer metros. Our annual employment growth rate was 1.7 percent, which placed us well in the bottom half of our selected peer group. Metros like Dallas, Austin, Denver, Oklahoma City and Charlotte all saw a year-over-year employment increase of 2.5 percent or more.

It is clear that metropolitan economies are now more competitive. Growth rates that once indicated solid progress are not enough to keep up today. The Kansas City economy is growing, but more like a jogger gradually picking up the pace, while some high-performing metro economies are racing ahead. We will need to grow faster to keep up — let alone take the lead.

The region’s job growth resulted in a drop in the regional unemployment rate, from 3.9 percent to 3.6 percent. In this tight labor market, many employers are actively looking for new employees. Unique job postings increased by 2 percent between July and August.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED EMPLOYMENT

[The current number of jobs in the Kansas City metro as determined by the monthly Current Employment Statistics survey.]

Kansas City's employment increased to 1,103,200 in August. This is up 18,100 from one year ago.

HIRING TRENDS

BUSINESS AND FINANCE OCCUPATIONS - LAST 90 DAYS

Top 10 Employers Advertising Openings
(By total number of ads)

Top 10 Occupations Sought
(By total number of ads)

UNEMPLOYMENT

[The number of unemployed as a percent of the total labor force, not seasonally adjusted.]

Kansas City's unemployment rate dropped to 3.6 percent in August. One year ago, the metro unemployment rate was 4.4 percent.

PEER METRO RANK — EMPLOYMENT GROWTH RATE

[Percent change in employment year-over-year among 14 metropolitan areas.]

Kansas City added 18,100 jobs in the year ending August, a growth rate of 1.7 percent. This puts Kansas City in the bottom half among peer metros.