October Jobless Rate Falls To 5.7 Percent

A new report says the Kansas unemployment rate continues to decline.

The state Labor Department said Monday that unemployment fell to 5.7 percent in October from 5.9 percent in September. Last month’s figure is also down sharply from a seasonally adjusted 6.6 percent in October 2011.

September’s figure marked the first time since December 2008 that Kansas unemployment was below 6 percent.

Interim Labor Secretary Lana Gordon says she’s encouraged by the latest report. But a Labor Department economist says the slow pace of seasonal hiring shows a tentativeness in the economy.