Missouri unemployment rate inches up

Missouri's unemployment rate ticked up a tenth of a point in June.

The state's jobless rate last month was 4.3%, up from 4.2% in May, according to a news release from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. The data is seasonally adjusted.

"Short-term shortages of semiconductor chips may hold down employment in manufacturing in the next few months," officials said in the release.

However, MERIC touted job growth during the past year.

For the year ended June 30, more than 130,000 jobs were added in the state, according to the release, with officials noting "the initial wave of COVID-19-related layoffs" is now more than a year in the past.

For the May to June period this year, employers added a net 4,200 jobs statewide.

The most recent unemployment rate reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Springfield metropolitan statistical area was 3.5% in May. That was up from 3.1% in April.