Missouri’s unemployment rate remained at 9.6 percent in January, where it has remained nearly stagnant since summer 2009.

The state gained about 5,700 jobs in the first month of 2011, according to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The labor force, which measures employed Missourians as well as those looking for work, ticked up in January, indicating people either moved to the state or began hunting for jobs after having given up the search.

Still, Missouri’s unemployment rate is now tied for 12th-worst in the nation. The state has lost roughly 175,000 jobs since the recession began in 2007, according to the federal data.

– Missouri Digital News