Contact: Jeremy Hill, director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Resources,
316-978-5184 or jeremy.hill@wichita.edu.
Total nonfarm employment for the state of Kansas increased by almost 8,000 workers
in 2019, growing 0.5 percent.For 2020, the Kansas economy is projected to contract substantially due to the impact
of the novel coronavirus, with the effects of the virus on the economy expected to
linger on beyond the end of the state’s stay-at-home order as social distancing continues.US gross domestic product declined 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020 as the
first effects of the novel coronavirus were felt in March, and the effects are expected
to be much larger through the remainder of the year.
In 2020, Kansas employment is forecast to decline 10.2 percent, contracting at an
annual rate of more than 140,000 jobs compared to 2019.The job losses are expected to be concentrated in the second quarter, following by
an employment recovery in the third and fourth quarters of the year.These projections are based on the assumptions that the novel coronavirus infections
peaks in the second quarter of 2020 at a level manageable for the local health care
system, and that additional stay-at-home orders are not required to combat the virus
after the initial stay-at-home orders expire in May.Additional outbreaks and stay-at-home orders would further reduce the employment outlook
beyond what is presented here.
