State jobless rate sees drop

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent last month, better than the April figure and also besting the national rate, federal labor data shows. Missouri's rate was below the national level of 4.6 percent and a full point below the state's May 2005 rate of 5.4 percent. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Missouri was among the top six states in the country for its jobless rate decrease over the past year.

Missouri's total nonfarm payroll, seasonally adjusted, dipped from April by 2,300 jobs but saw an increase over the past year of 26,200, a nearly 1 percent rise, at 2,753,300 jobs, labor data shows.

While job totals fluctuated some from April to May, most job sectors saw solid increases from a year ago. The exception to the trend was in manufacturing, which lost 1,000 jobs from a month earlier and was down 6,000 jobs from May 2005. State officials have blamed declining manufacturing jobs partly on the closing of a motor vehicle plant.

The trade, transportation and utilities industry saw the largest job growth from May 2005 to last month, gaining 7,900 jobs, seasonally adjusted, though it declined from April. That industry was followed closely by education and health services, up 7,800 for the year. The leisure and hospitality industry posted a gain of 7,200 jobs from last May and saw the highest annual percentage increase among all industry groups, though those jobs also decreased from the previous month by 1,500.

The industry that saw the largest bump from April to May was the government sector, increasing by 2,200 jobs.