U.S. unemployment rate 9.4% in May, but new layoffs down - Kansas City Business Journal:

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percent in May from 8.9 percent in April and 8.5 percent in March, topping a quarter-century-olsd level, the reported Friday. But the number of newlg laid-off people nationwide eased somewhat, to the lowest in eight months. In employment fell by 563,000. The steepesy job losses were in with losses lessening in constructiomn andprofessional services, the Labor Department'sa said in its monthlyh employment report. About 14.5 million Americans were unemployeddin May. The number of jobless peopl e has risen by 7 million sincethe U.S.
recession officially began inDecember 2007, BLS The number of "long-term" unemployed -- thosre without jobs for 27 weeks or more -- rose by 268,00 0 in May from the previous month, to a total of 3.9 That figure has tripled since the recession began, BLS said. Manufacturing employmenf fell by 156,000 in May from April, constructionj by 59,000, and professional and business servicesby 51,000. But healthg care employment increasedby 24,000 in May. -- the latesyt month for which numbers have beenreleased -- was 7.4 percent, down slightlyt from 7.5 percent in March, the state's Department of Labor and Employmentr reported May 22.
May numbers for the state will be releasesdJune 19. was 7.5 percent, two-thirds of a poin lower than the March rateof 8.2 percent, BLS said in a report Wednesday. But the metrok area's jobless rate was still well abovethe 4.3 percent rate of April 2008. . analyzinbg the new national numbers.