Context: Video aired on Oct. 10.
KANSAS (KSNT) – The children’s advocacy group, Kansas Action for Children (KAC), says a big piece is missing from the Kansas labor report.
Starting on Oct. 1, following the government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stopped its operations. As a result, Kansas is now in the dark about its job numbers and unemployment data.
The last Kansas labor report that was successfully released was for August and was published on Sept. 19. The next report, for September 2025, was scheduled for release on Oct. 17 but wasn’t issued due to the shutdown. The next report is supposed to be released on Friday, Nov. 21.
The Kansas Department of Labor issued a statement saying the report, which would’ve included job numbers and unemployment data, is postponed until further notice.
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“Due to the lapse in federal funding, all Bureau of Labor Statistics operations were suspended as of October 1, 2025. The release of the September 2025 Kansas Labor Report, including jobs numbers and unemployment data, originally scheduled for October 17th, has been postponed until further notice.”
Kansas Department of Labor alert in its August 2025 Labor Report.
KAC reported on Oct. 27 that while Kansas wasn’t able to get the full picture for September, what we did get “isn’t exactly pretty.”
“Where we go from here is difficult to say, especially as our view is clouded by limited data in the wake of the ongoing government shutdown. But at least one of the nation’s top economists is convinced Kansas is in, or nearly in, a recession. At the very least, we are experiencing some strong turbulence, and state lawmakers should proceed cautiously.”
Nathan Kessler wrote for Kansas Action for Children on Oct. 27.
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Last month, MarketWatch reported that Kansas is one of 22 states in a recession. The report cited Chief Economist at Moody’s, Mark Zandi, who said a common theme with the states he says are in a recession is weak farm economies or weak manufacturing.
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