TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas officials say they're seeing positive
economic trends even though the state's jobless rate moved higher
last month.
     In a report Friday, the Kansas labor department says the
seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 6.3 percent in July
from 6.1 percent in June. Unemployment in July of last year was 6.7
percent.
     The agency also says Kansas had about 22,000 more private-sector
jobs in July than it did a year earlier, an increase of about 2
percent. The state had about 1.1 million private-sector jobs last
month.
     Employment by business and professional services companies had
the biggest year-to-year increase at roughly 8 percent.
Manufacturing employment also grew, while the number of government
jobs declined.