Mo. unemployment rate rises to 8 percent

Mo. unemployment rate rises to 8 percent

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lost 11,500 jobs in January while the state's unemployment rate rose to its highest mark since February 1984. Figures released Friday by the state Department of Economic Development show January unemployment at 8 percent, up nearly a percentage point from December. January's biggest losses were in construction, which lost about 5,800 jobs, and manufacturing, which shed 4,100 jobs. Retail, health care and social assistance all added jobs. Gov. Jay Nixon issued a statement calling the employment picture "unacceptable" and urged passage of economic development legislation that he favors.