Arkansas’ unemployment rate in October rose to 3.6 percent from 3.5 percent in September, but it was still lower than the 4 percent reported for October 2016.
The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services released the data, produced by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, on Friday.
“Arkansas’ unemployment rate rose one-tenth a percentage point in October, as employment declined slightly over the month. Even with this decrease, there are still 42,501 more employed in Arkansas compared to October 2016,” BLS Program Operations Manager Susan Price said in a news release.
The state Department of Workforce Services said Arkansas’ civilian labor force declined by 1,191. In October, the U.S. jobless rate stood at 4.1 percent, down one-tenths of a percentage point from September and down seven-tenths of a percentage point from October 2016.
Compared to October 2016, nonfarm payroll jobs in Arkansas are up by 23,500. Seven major industry sectors added jobs, with four adding 4,200 or more jobs each. Employment in four sectors declined.
- Manufacturing added 5,700 jobs. Nondurable goods accounted for most of those gains.
- Trade, transportation and utilities added 4,400 jobs. The greatest expansion was in wholesale trade.
- Employment in professional and business services increased by 4,400. Administrative and support services, a subsector that includes employment agencies, saw most of the gains.
- Jobs in educational and health services rose by 4,200, in health care, social assistance and educational services.
- Other services (automotive repair, dry cleaning, civic organizations, etc.) added 2,300 jobs, while employment in construction increased by 2,300.
- Leisure and hospitality gained 2,000 jobs.
- Government lost 600 jobs, all in local government.
- Financial activities lost 500 jobs, while information lost 300 and mining and logging lost 100.
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