Arkansas’ Unemployment Rate Up to 6.3 Percent in August

For the first time in 10 months, and the first time this year, Arkansas’ unemployment rate increased from the previous month.

The latest numbers, for August, from the state Department of Workforce Services show August’s unemployment rate was up 0.1 percent from July to 6.3 percent. But the unemployment rate is 1.4 percent lower than a year ago.

Arkansas’ unemployment rate was also 0.2 percent higher than the national average, 6.1 percent.

The state’s labor force was down 2,100 from a month ago and 28,600 from a year ago, while its employed workers were down 2,800 from July and 8,400 from last August. 

“The drop in employment triggered the rise in the unemployment rate in August,” Becky Heflin, the department’s communications director, said in a news release.

More: View the entire news release here (PDF).

It’s unemployed workers were up 700 from July, but down 20,200 from a year ago.

The state’s number of unemployed workers was up, for the first time since last August, to 81,800. In August 2013, the state’s unemployed workers pool was 102,000. It dropped 11 consecutive months to 81,000 in July before the uptick last month.

The number of employed workers fell for the fifth month in a row, down 2,800 from July and down 8,400 from a year ago. Since March, the number of employed workers is down 24,400. 

The state’s labor force was also down, declining 2,100 from July and 28,600 from a year ago.

Nonfarm Payroll Jobs Up

There were three major industry sectors that added jobs in August that pushed the nonfarm payroll 2,600 higher than a month ago. 

Government jobs were up 2,800, educational and health services were up 1,300 jobs, as were construction jobs.

From last year, nonfarm payroll jobs are up 15,400 with eight industry sectors reporting growth.