Arkansas’ leading economists say the state should have an improved economy next year. One of the highlights: the unemployment rate is expected to continue to drop to 5.5 percent by the end of 2015 and then slip to 5.3 percent in 2016. read more >

The unemployment Rate in Arkansas fell to 5.8 percent in November, down from 6.1 percent in October. The 5.8 jobless rate matches the U.S. rate, which remained stable between October and November. read more >

Arkansas' unemployment rate fell from September to October, dropping two-tenths of a percentage point to 6 percent, according to a report from the state Department of Workforce Services. read more >

The Great Recession was very bad for Mike Nelson. His Jonesboro business, Nelson Design Group, sells home designs to builders and homebuyers, and revenue that reached $4 million in 2006 was down to $1 million by 2008. read more >

State Sen. Jane English has no use for the private option, the Medicaid expansion providing health insurance to the poor. But the Republican lawmaker from North Little Rock saw an opportunity and took it, and what began as an old-fashioned political horse trade — you get my vote, I get something for my constituents — appears likely to evolve into a governor-backed legislative package that next year will seek to transform workforce training in Arkansas. read more >

Health care reform is increasing the importance of the correct classification of employees, employment lawyers and others say. That’s because the “employer mandate” of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act requires businesses with 50 or more full-time employees (or their equivalent) to offer those workers health insurance. read more >

A recent business retention and expansion survey conducted by the Northwest Arkansas Council and local chambers of commerce reveal that 30 percent of the more than 450 employers surveyed — a sample that ranged from mom-and-pop operations to global retailers — plan expansions within the next three years. read more >

The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services in October issued “Arkansas Long-Term Industry & Occupational Projections,” detailing its forecasts for the long-term job market. read more >

Artee Williams, the director of the Department of Workforce Services, shares his thoughts on the state's unemployment rates, which jobs are filling up too fast and which ones aren't filling up at all. read more >

The state Department of Workforce Services says Arkansas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point from 7.1 percent in December to 7.2 percent in January. read more >

The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services predicts that the state will add 96,856 jobs in 2010-20, according to its recent report “State of Arkansas: Long-Term Industry & Occupational Projections 2010-2020.” read more >

The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services recently released its 2012 report on the state’s labor market and other economic indicators. read more >

Arkansas’ Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, depleted in 2009, had a balance of $144.57 million as of Oct. 12, according to the Department of Workforce Services. read more >

The 2010 census showed the Hot Springs Metro Area with 8,000 more people than 2000, a 9-percent increase. Employment and sales tax collections showed the Spa City and five-county area returning to pre-recession figures by the end of 2011. read more >