Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development

Missouri non-farm payroll employment decreased slightly from March 2022 to April 2022, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, decreased by 5,300 jobs over the month. Private industry employment decreased by 4,200 jobs and government employment declined by 1,100 jobs. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.4 percent in April 2022, down from 3.6 percent in March 2022. Over the year, there was an increase of 76,000 jobs from April 2021 to April 2022, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by 1.3 percentage points, from 4.7 percent in April 2021 to 3.4 percent in April 2022.

UNEMPLOYMENT

Missouri’s smoothed seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by two-tenths of a percentage point in April 2022, declining to 3.4 percent from the revised March 2022 rate of 3.6 percent. The April 2022 rate was 1.3 percentage points lower than the April 2021 rate. The estimated number of unemployed Missourians was 103,594 in April 2022, down by 6,399 from March’s 109,993.

The national unemployment rate remained unchanged from 3.6 percent over the month. Missouri’s unemployment rate has been at or below the national rate for the last five years. 

The state’s not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate decreased in April 2022, falling by 1.2 percentage points to 2.4 percent from the March 2022 not-seasonally-adjusted rate of 3.6 percent. The corresponding not-seasonally-adjusted national rate for April 2022 was 3.3 percent.  

EMPLOYMENT

Missouri’s seasonally adjusted non-farm payroll employment was 2,899,300 in April 2022, down by 5,300 from the revised March 2022 figure. The March 2022 total was revised upward from the preliminary estimate with an increase of 300 jobs.

Goods-producing industries increased over the month, with manufacturing gaining 500 jobs and mining, logging, and construction gaining 100 jobs. Private service-providing industries declined by 4,800 jobs between March 2022 and April 2022. Employment in private service-providing industries decreased in trade, transportation, and utilities (-3,400 jobs); education & health services (-1,600 jobs); other services (-200 jobs); information (-100 jobs); and financial activities (-100 jobs). Professional & business services increased by 600 jobs and leisure & hospitality employment was unchanged. Government employment decreased by 1,100 jobs over the month with losses in local government (-1,000 jobs) and federal government (-100 jobs).

Over the year, total payroll employment increased by 76,000 jobs from April 2021 to April 2022. Most of the major private-sector industry groups shared in the increase, with the largest gain in leisure & hospitality (+28,000 jobs), followed by professional & business services (+22,900 jobs); trade, transportation, & utilities (+10,300 jobs); mining, logging & construction (+8,800 jobs); other services (+6,500 jobs); manufacturing (+1,800 jobs); and information (+300 jobs). Employment decreased in financial activities (-2,100 jobs) and educational & health services (-1,600 jobs). Government employment increased over the year, with a gain of 1,100 jobs. The largest governmental employment increase was in state government (+1,800 jobs), followed by local government (+500 jobs). Employment decreased over the year in federal government by 1,200 jobs.

Read the full report at https://meric.mo.gov/missouri-monthly-jobs-report.