The unemployment rate in Arkansas fell in June to 6.2 percent, but the number of people employed “continues to be a source of concern,” state economic forecaster Michael Pakko noted recently.
“The household-survey measure of employment fell by 6,700 in June, bringing the cumulative three-month decline to nearly 14,500. As a result of these changes, the labor force fell by 9,300 for the month, and has fallen by more than 24,600 over the past three months.”
If “the decline in the number of unemployed reflects discouraged workers dropping out of the labor force, then the falling unemployment rate might be a misleading signal,” he said.
For more about the data, visit ArkansasEconomist.com.