Missouri jobs, unemployment rate, both rise

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri's unemployment rate inched up last month, but so did the number of Missourians with jobs, according to figures released Friday by the state.

The state's unemployment rate rose from 4.5 percent in April to 4.6 percent in May on a seasonally adjusted basis. But the state added 4,100 jobs during the time, Gov. Matt Blunt's office said.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the national unemployment rate in May was 4.5 percent. Missouri's unemployment rate was also slightly higher than the national average in April and March.

The educational and health services jobs sector climbed by about 1,300 last month. Construction jobs increased by about 1,000.