Arkansas' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 5 percent in March to 10.2 percent in April, the state Department of Workforce Services reported Friday.
The department revised March's estimate up from the 4.8% it originally reported. The report said that in April, Arkansas' civilian labor force declined by 69,598.
More: See the full report here.
The U.S. jobless rate rose by more than 10 percentage points, going from 4.4 percent in March to 14.7 percent in April.
"Arkansas' unemployment rate rose sharply in April to 10.2 percent, but is still less than the national rate of 14.7 percent," BLS Program Operations Manager Susan Price said in a news release. "In addition to the increase in unemployed Arkansans due to the COVID-19 response, the number of employed declined even more. This is related in part to the lack of typical Spring hiring at businesses that were unable to open or expand as scheduled."
Compared to April 2019, nonfarm payroll jobs in Arkansas are down by 111,200. All major industry sectors posted job losses.
- Jobs in leisure and hospitality fell 41,400, mostly in accommodation and food services (-40,100).
- Employment in educational and health services dropped 19,000. A majority of the decline occurred in health care and social assistance (-17,100).
- Jobs in trade, transportation and utilities decreased 11,500, with losses in retail trade at 11,300.
- Manufacturing declined by 11,400, mostly in durable goods manufacturing (-8,700).
- The report said other sizable reductions occurred in professional and business services (-9,100), government (-8,600) and other services (-5,900).
