By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A new reports says Missouri's unemployment rate was unchanged last month at 9.3 percent while the state shed jobs.
The Department of Economic Development said Monday that Missouri had a net loss of 12,300 jobs from August to September. The decline put September's total statewide payroll employment slightly below the March level.
Among major metropolitan areas, the agency says the St. Louis area lost about 7,500 jobs in September while the Kansas City region lost about 1,800. The losses were spread across several sectors, including construction, manufacturing and retail.
The Springfield metropolitan area gained about 1,400 jobs.