Topeka ? The state job market appears to be rebounding, Kansas Department of Labor Secretary Jim Garner said Wednesday.

Garner said the state gained 9,000 jobs in 2004 after having lost 14,000 the year before. July’s unemployment rate was 4.6 percent.

“The state economy appears to have turned a corner, but we still have a long way to go,” he said during his annual report on the state of labor.

Garner cited recent legislation to boost bioscience research, and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ reorganization of workforce training programs as positve developments in the job market.

He also criticized the Kansas Chamber of Commerce for insisting that the workers’ compensation system in Kansas is too expensive.

He said national studies show workers’ comp insurance premiums have decreased $121 million since 1993, while Kansas ranks 43rd in benefits to injured workers.

“If anything, we should reform the system to provide better benefits for the working men and women of Kansas,” he said.