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Arkansas Jobless Rate Unchanged at 5.6 Percent

1 min read

The state’s unemployment rate was steady at 5.6 percent in March, reflecting a revised rate for February.

The February unemployment rate was listed at 5.5 percent when data was released last month, but the state Department of Workforce Services revised that figure to 5.6 percent.

“Though the unemployment rate remained stable, Arkansas’ civilian labor force has grown each month for the last 11 months,” DWS Communications Director Becky Heflin said in a news release. “Since April 2014, there are 37,900 more Arkansans in the labor force.”

The national unemployment rate remained unchanged in March at 5.5 percent.

According to DWS, the state’s civilian labor force rose by 4,900 from January to February, a result of 5,800 more employed and 900 fewer unemployed Arkansans.

In March, the biggest industry gainers were leisure and hospitality with 2,300 new jobs, while the trade, transportation and utilities and government sectors each saw 1,000 new jobs. Construction saw a decline of 2,000 jobs, attributed to many projects being shut down due to weather conditions.

Year-over-year gains were seen in:

  • Leisure and hospitality, 7,200 jobs.
  • Trade, transportation and utilities, 5,700.
  • Educational and health services, 3,300
  • Professional and business services, 2,200.

See the full report at Discover.Arkansas.gov.

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