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Arkansas Unemployment Rises to 4 Percent

2 min read

Arkansas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percentage point, from 3.9 percent in August to 4 percent in September, according to data released Friday by the state Department of Workforce Services.

The report showed Arkansas’ civilian labor force increased by 972, a result of 1,513 more unemployed and 541 fewer employed Arkansans.

The U.S. jobless rate also increased by one-tenth of a percentage point in September, reaching 5 percent.

More: View the complete report here.

In September 2015, Arkansas’ unemployment rate stood at 5 percent, while the U.S. unemployment rate was 5.1 percent.

Since last year, Arkansas’ civilian labor force has increased by 23,763 people to 1.35 million. That number includes 54,817 unemployed Arkansans.

“While unemployment is up slightly over the month, there are still 11,385 fewer unemployed Arkansans than in September 2015,” said Susan Price, the Bureau of Labor Statistics program operations manager. 

Compared to September 2015, Arkansas’ nonfarm payroll employment increased by 14,200, with eight industry sectors posting growth and three posting a declines:

  • Educational and health services added 7,700 jobs, with jobs in professional and business services making the majority of the growth, up by 3,900.
  • Professional and business services rose by 3,900, with professional, scientific and technical services posting most of the gain. 
  • Employment in leisure and hospitality increased by 2,400, mostly in food services. 
  • Trade, transportation and utilities rose by 1,900, with retail and wholesale trade jobs offsetting losses in transportation, warehousing and utilities. 
  • The “other services” sector added 1,000 jobs. The sector includes automotive repair, dry cleaning services and social advocacy organizations. 
  • Construction lost 1,300 jobs.
  • Mining and logging lost 1,200 jobs.
  • Manufacturing lost 700 jobs.

Since August, four major industry sectors added jobs, offsetting declines in six sectors:

  • Jobs in government rose by 13,000.
  • Educational and health services added 4,600 jobs. 
  • Manufacturing rose by 1,000.
  • Trade, transportation, and utilities decreased by 1,600. 
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