May 22, 2009

The Wichita unemployment rate jumped 0.4 of a percent in April, to go from 6.7 percent in March to 7.1 percent in April.

By comparison, Wichita’s unemployment rate a year ago was 3.3 percent.

The Kansas Department of Labor reports there are 23,155 people unemployed in Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey and Sumner counties.

Wichita has the highest unemployment rate in the state, followed by Kansas City, Kansas at 6.7 percent, Topeka at 5.9, Lawrence at 5.0 and Manhattan at 3.8.

The Labor Department says Kansas has lost 36,500 jobs in the past year.

The U.S. Dept. of Labor says Kansas had seven mass layoffs in April, compared to 19 in March. The April mass layoffs led to more than 700 initial claims for unemployment benefits.