Missouri unemployment rate drops

(AP) More people are back at work in Missouri after joblessness spiked during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. State data released Wednesday show the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped from 7% in August to 4.9% in September. But joblessness is still significantly up compared to the same time last year. Missouri’s unemployment rate was 3.3% in September 2019. Missouri officials say the recent drop in unemployment is partly due to people dropping out of the labor force completely after their unemployment benefits were cut off. Data show the civilian labor force went down 2.3% compared to August.