State sees its jobless rate slide

Unemployment in Arkansas dipped again in August, from 4.3% in July to 4.2% in August. The state’s labor force, which has been decreasing and creating hiring challenges for employers, rose in August by 1,651, a result of 3,412 more employed and 1,761 fewer unemployed Arkansans. The labor force increase was the first improvement since April. […]

Jobless level in state edges down to 4.5%

Arkansas’ jobless rate improved in February, dropping to 4.5%, closer to the state’s pre-pandemic levels. The U.S. unemployment rate also fell to 6.2%. Arkansas’ labor force also dropped, by 12,775, raising concerns for the state’s economic development officials for filling open jobs. Michael Pakko, chief economist with the Arkansas Economic Development Institute, said Friday’s report […]

State jobless rate hit 4.2% last month; Arkansas’ figure 9th-lowest in U.S.

Arkansas’ unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% in December, the second-best improvement in the nation. Arkansas now has the ninth-lowest unemployment rate in the nation. Because Arkansas’ economy never shut down during the pandemic, the state did not experience as much of a downtown as other states have. Read the full article on the Northwest Arkansas […]

Arkansas Unemployment: Metro vs. Rural Areas

All but two of Arkansas’ metro areas saw increases in unemployment for the month of August. In that same time, unemployment declined in the majority of the state’s counties. The “unemployment statistics seem to suggest that non-metro parts of the state showed relative improvement in August,” Dr. Michael Pakko reported on his blog, arkansaseconomist.com. To read […]

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