e-connection (April 2013 Edition, Vol. 8, No. 4)

Employment Is Forecasted to Grow

Wichita MSA employment is forecasted to grow in 2013, by nearly 4,200 jobs, for a growth rate of 1.5 percent over 2012. The service sector is expected to experience the largest growth, with an increase of nearly 2,600 jobs, or 2 percent.  These numbers reflect the CEDBR’s updated forecast for 2013.

Read the updated Wichita forecast. 

Kansas Employment Forecast Is Released

In 2012, Kansas employment grew 1.4 percent and is predicted to grow another 1.8 percent in 2013. This will add nearly 24,000 jobs in Kansas this year. The production sector is expected to have the highest percentage increase in employment in 2013, with a 2.3 percent gain expected.

Read the newly released forecast update. 

Inflation Report Is Updated

The Consumer Price Index is used to calculate inflation, or the change in price of a basket of goods and services, as it impacts consumers; whereas, the Producer Price Index measures changes in selling prices, thereby expressing price changes from the perspective of the seller who produces a particular commodity. 

The Center for Economic Development and Business Research released a slide presentation showing the annual inflation rate for the Midwest Region of the United States over time, as well as five-year graphs depicting the change in the Producer Price Index for aircraft, crude petroleum, natural gas, slaughter livestock, sorghum and wheat. The presentation has been updated with March data and can be accessed below.

Access this slide presentation.

Learn more about the CPI.

Learn more about the PPI. 

Kansas Unemployment Rates Drop

The Lawrence, Manhattan, and Topeka metro areas’ unemployment rates all decreased by 0.4 percentage points from January 2013 to February 2013, as well as the unemployment rate for Kansas, as a whole. The Wichita MSA unemployment rate dropped 0.5 percentage points. A slide presentation is available that graphically depicts civilian labor force employment and the unemployment rate for each of these geographic areas.

Access this slide presentation. 

Occupational Data Expanded by BLS

May 2012 national, state, metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area occupational employment and wage estimates were released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on March 29, 2013. These estimates are the first to be based on the full 2010 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system and the first to be produced using the 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). In addition to 22 major occupational groups and 821 detailed occupations, employment and wage estimates for 94 minor groups and 458 broad occupations are available in the national data for the first time.

The estimates now include 24 newly defined detailed occupations, with computer network support specialists representing the largest employment group, 167,980 employees, among those new occupations. Nurse anesthetists have the highest annual wage of $154,390 among the occupations recently added. The smallest occupational groups were genetic counselors, wind turbine service technicians and solar photovoltaic installers, each with fewer than 5,000 employees nationwide.

Read the recent BLS news release about occupational data.

Access the May 2012 state occupational employment and wage estimates. 

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