Mirroring developments in the national economy, the economy in Kansas is feeling the effects of sluggish credit flows, cutbacks in job creation, increased unemployment, and reductions in stock market and housing wealth. I continue to work hard to represent families in Kansas and give them a voice in how the Nation works through our current economic and financial challenges.
Kansans are hard working and prudent people. Families in Kansas are at the heart of what we often hear of as "Main Street." In representing the interests of Kansans, I work to ensure that the national and global economic and financial environments in which Kansas operates move back to stability. I work to ensure that speculative excesses of the past that led to our current economic and financial difficulties will be prevented in the future. I also work to ensure that the federal government does not reward speculators at the expense of the hard working families in Kansas who, all along, play by the rules and chose prudence and thrift over speculation and bailouts.
The Kansas economy has been robust in recent years, but has been slowing in the wake of negative global and national economic forces. While Kansas experienced healthy employment growth in almost all sectors of its economy last year, job growth is trending down. The Kansas unemployment rate remains below the national rate, but unemployment is rising rapidly in Kansas, as in the nation. The rate of unemployment in Kansas increased a full percentage point in just the first nine months of this year; from 3.8% in January to 4.8% in September. Growth in the Kansas economy is also receding, as it is in the nation. While growth in the Kansas gross state product was healthy last year at 2.9%, all expectations are that overall economic activity in the state will slow significantly this year. Total exports in Kansas were a glowing spot in recent economic performance. Kansas exports grew at a rapid 18.8% in 2007. Our state's exports will, however, likely slow precipitously as we work through the developing global economic recession in which foreign economies and, hence, demand for Kansas exports declines.
The national and global economic and financial systems are under serious stresses. I am dedicated to: return our financial system to stability, and away from leveraged speculative excess; to return the national and state economies to balanced and sustainable growth, and away from speculative bubbles and debt-funded spending; to return the federal government to fiscal austerity, and away from unbridled spending and excessive borrowing from abroad; and return the global economic and financial environment to stability, balance, and fair and free trade, and away from large global imbalances and unfair trade and finance practices. With eyes on the national and global economic and financial environment, I maintain a keen focus on economic developments of my fellow Kansans and their families. Some information on the Kansas economy can be found in the following links:
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Bureau of Labor Statistics
Includes Kansas data on:
- Employment
- Unemployment
- Prices
- Living
- Compensation and Working Conditions
Kansas Data At The Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Includes Kansas data on:
- Gross State Product
- State and Local Area Personal Income
- State and Local Area Employment
- State and Local Area Earnings
Kansas data at the Bureau of Economic Analysis
U.S. Census Bureau
Includes Kansas data on:
Kansas Department of Labor
Includes Kansas data on:
- State and Local Area Unemployment
- State and Local Area Employment
- State and Local Area Wages
- Job Vacancy Survey
- Kansas Occupational Outlook
Kansas Division of the Budget
Includes Kansas data on:
- Governor's Budget
- Economics and Demographics
- State Revenue Estimates
Office of Trade and Industry Information
Includes Kansas data on:
- Merchandise Exports from Kansas to Other Countries.
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