Missouri unemployment drops slightly, state loses 10K jobs

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's unemployment has dropped slightly.

Department of Economic Development data released Tuesday show the unemployment rate dropped slightly from 3.9 percent in August to 3.8 percent in September. Unemployment has held fairly steady in recent months.

Data show the state also lost 10,500 jobs between August and September. Local government faced the biggest hit.

The change in nonfarm employment came as the seasonally adjusted civilian labor force grew by more than 13,000 people in the same time period.

The labor force counts people with jobs and those who are on unemployment but looking for work.