Local unemployment by the numbers

Cape Girardeau County's unemployment rate leapt to 3.4% in January, up from December's 2.2%, despite a drastic fall in the number of jobless claims filed — down from 319 to 104, according to the latest statistics available from the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Cape Girardeau County's rate is the highest since June 2021's 4.2%.

Nearby counties also saw notable unemployment rate hikes in January compared to the previous month with corresponding declines in claims.

• Scott: 3.6% (81) vs. 2.4% (241).
• Perry: 3.2% (29) vs. 2% (79).
• Bollinger: 4.1% (26) vs. 2.7% (67).

Statewide, Missouri's unemployment rate for February was 3.7%, close to 3.8% jobless figure for the U.S. in March — as state and local statistics always trail the national numbers.

In Missouri, as is the case county-by-county, the number of jobless claims continues to fall.

For the week ending March 19, Missouri had 2,788 claims — a 74.4% decline from five weeks earlier. For the week ending Feb. 12, 10,894 claims were filed in the Show Me State.

U.S. unemployment claims fell to their lowest level in 52 years as the national job market continues to show strength in the wake of inflation and the lingering impact of COVID-19.

Nationally, the unemployment rate continues a steady downward trend. The most recent high-water mark for joblessness in the U.S., 14.7%, was set in April 2020, a month after the pandemic began.

U.S. businesses continue to struggle to fill positions, cumulatively posting a near-record level of open jobs in January — 11.3 million.

According to the U.S. Labor Department, if those without gainful employment start looking for work, they are counted among the ranks of the unemployed.

If an able-bodied person chooses not to work despite not having a job, however, the government does not list the individual in the unemployed category.

Analysts theorize unemployment rate increases accompanied by jobless claim declines may indicate more Americans are taking freelance or independent contractor work — a trend increasingly referred to as the "gig" economy.

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