Missouri jobless claims drop as state records one of lowest unemployment rates in nation

ST. LOUIS — About 8,700 people filed for unemployment in Missouri last week, even as the state’s unemployment rate last month dropped to one of the lowest in the nation.

Last week’s initial jobless claims were down some 2,000 from the week before, according to data release on Thursday.

About 6,500 people dropped off of the state’s regular unemployment rolls, as of the week ended Oct. 10, bringing those collecting regular unemployment down to 54,000.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week that Missouri’s September unemployment rate dropped to 4.9%, lower than all but five states: Iowa, Nebraska, Vermont and the Dakotas. Payrolls in the state rose by about 13,000, but much of the decline in unemployment was driven by almost 70,000 people dropping out of the labor force.

The unemployment rate in Illinois fell slightly, to 10.2% from 11% in August.

In Illinois, workers filed 47,000 new jobless claims last week, virtually unchanged from the week before. The number of people on the state’s regular unemployment rolls fell by 68,000 the week ending Oct. 10, to 379,000.

In Missouri, those on the emergency federal program for self-employed workers who don’t qualify for regular unemployment also began dropping significantly in October after holding mostly steady for weeks. More than 8,000 people on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program in Missouri dropped off the rolls the week ended Oct. 3, bringing those on the rolls down to 51,000.

In Illinois, those on the PUA program ticked up by just more than 1,000 to almost 122,000.