Missouri ‘s unemployment rate fell by half a point to 7.5 percent in January - the lowest level in over 3 years, according to the latest state report.
The state boosted its payroll employment by 21,100 jobs in January.
John Fougere, Director of Communications at the Missouri Department of Economic Development, says the state’s economy is heading in the right direction.
“Pretty much across all sectors we had job growth. The only sector, the only exception where we saw jobs decrease in Missouri January 2012, was in government employment which decreased by three thousand,” Fougere said.
MU Economics Professor Joe Haslag says Missouri’s economic recovery was lagging behind the nation till now.
“Whether this is a one-month aberration, or whether there’s a real trend that’s going to show up in this case, the Missouri employment recovery had been extraordinarily slow,” Haslag said.
The state unemployment rate remains below the national average, which sits at 8.3 percent.