During the Greater Topeka Partnership s annual Economic Outlook Conference on Friday, Freddy Mawyin, the GTP s research manager, revealed 4,681 workers in Shawnee County remain out of a job. Small businesses are under severe financial stress, he said, and a large pool of workers have not yet recovered from the recession.
The county s unemployment rate in October was just over 5% a notable drop from the 12.2% unemployment rate seen in April.
Mawyin indicated local employment numbers are slowly improving. Still, he said, it could be the second quarter of 2021 before local employment returns to pre-pandemic rates.
That information left some wondering about Topeka and Shawnee County s current job market. Are there jobs out there for local unemployed workers, or do openings remain scarce?