Little Rock Area Sets Employment Record, Sees Economic Growth

An aerial view of downtown Little Rock looking northeast across the Arkansas River (Amanda Cordell)

The Little Rock Regional Chamber announced Monday that the Little Rock metropolitan area recently set a new record for the number of people employed across the region.

According to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Little Rock area, which includes Faulkner, Grant, Lonoke, Perry, Pulaski and Saline counties, reached the milestone in June when it reported 370,420 employed individuals, up 12,856 jobs or 3.6% from the 357,564 employed in June 2023.

“There are more people than ever before working in the Little Rock region, and over 40,000 more people working than 2014, and 60,000 more people than 2004,” Jay Chesshir, president and CEO of the Little Rock Chamber, said over a phone call.

Chesshir said another 2,000 jobs are expected to be created through expansions of Fiocchi, Tractor Supply, Westrock Coffee and other developments, including:

• Elopak’s new facility at the Port of Little Rock, part of a $70 million investment to create more than 150 new jobs
• Dassault Falcon Jet’s $100 million expansion at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, adding more than 800 new jobs
• Trex’s production site at the Port of Little Rock, which will expand the company’s manufacturing capabilities, creating an additional 500 jobs
• Phase 2 of the Little Rock Technology Park, aimed to support the growth of entrepreneurship and technology-based companies

Chesshir said those expansions will also create “indirect and induced” jobs for communities across the region. He said the chamber has a goal to see over 400,000 people working in the region by 2034, an increase of 29,680 jobs in the next 10 years.

To support additional jobs and investment, the Little Rock Regional Chamber is also working to advance the development of a shovel-ready “supersite” spanning more than 1,000 acres to attract “a generational economic development project.” After years of planning and behind-the-scenes work, the project is nearing the completion of land acquisition, construction of an industrial-grade road and rail track, decommissioning of on-site structures, completion of due diligence studies and development of critical utility infrastructure to serve the site.

“From the creation of a supersite to phase two of the Little Rock Technology Park and the development of downtown Little Rock, we’re continuing to invest in the infrastructure necessary to support the next generation of job-creating projects,” Chesshir said. He added that the growth is “not just one area, it’s in all areas of our economy.”

Chesshir said that the region is also supporting the educational infrastructure needed to “create a pathway to college and meaningful careers” through the chamber’s Academies of Central Arkansas program, a partnership of school districts throughout central Arkansas.

The labor data shows that the Little Rock metro is the fastest-growing region in the state by employment, Chesshir said. And he emphasized that the community needs job growth to see population growth.

“To drive population growth, any community or region has to have employment growth to get people to live there,” he said. “A catalyst for growth in employment leads to a catalyst for growth in population.”