Looking behind the unemployment figures tells us some things about what’s happening in the Missouri job market. The highest unemployment rates in the state are in Wayne, Iron, and Washington Counties, all near or at 6% unemployed. State Labor Analyst Noel Blythe says those areas have few other industries to absorb workers left idle during the summer months with no school. Tourism areas like Branson and the Lake of the Ozarks had the lowest unemployment.
