Topeka ? Layoffs in the aircraft and telecommunications industries added to normal job losses in retail trade, government and construction caused the state’s unemployment rate to jump in January.

The Department of Human Resources reported Wednesday the jobless rate was 4.9 percent, up from 4.1 percent in December.

The number of nonfarm jobs declined in January by 27,600, dropping by more than 9 percent to about 1.34 million. Nearly 70,000 Kansans were actively seeking work.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, aircraft companies announced plans for about 7,600 layoffs in the Wichita area. In the Kansas City metropolitan area, Sprint has announced layoffs of about 3,500 in the greater Kansas City area and Lawrence.

The unemployment rate in the state’s portion of the Kansas City metropolitan area, defined by the federal government as Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Linn counties, increased to 5.8 percent in January from 4.5 percent in December.

It was the highest jobless rate for the area since January 1994, when it reached 5.9 percent.

In the Lawrence area, defined as Douglas County, the rate rose to 4.4 percent from 3.9 percent.