All industries, from health care to manufacturing, have faced a shortage of workers. Kathy Deck, director of the Center for Business & Economic Research at the Sam M. Walton School of Business at the University of Arkansas, says increasing pay would be the first action she would suggest when companies can’t find the right workers to fill positions. read more >

The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services released a report in July that showed Arkansas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.8 percent in June 2016. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported unadjusted unemployment rates of 3.1 percent for northwest Arkansas and 4.2 percent for Arkansas. read more >

Arkansans' opinions about the economy have fallen since March, bringing a key consumer sentiment measure more in line with national attitudes, according to a new report sponsored by Arvest Bank. read more >

State Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced last week that Arkansas would join a multistate lawsuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s new rule on ozone, the sixth legal battle she has entered with the federal agency since taking office in January. read more >

A recent apartment market study reported that occupancy rates for northwest Arkansas were 98 percent or higher in each of the four major cities. read more >

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 >

Arkansans reported less mortgage debt than their neighbors in Oklahoma and Missouri, according to the latest consumer sentiment survey from Arvest Bank. read more >

Arkansans feel more pessimistic about their current and expected financial situation, but feel more optimistic about buying major household items, according to the latest consumer sentiment survey from Arvest Bank. read more >

Arkansas consumer sentiment is up slightly in Arvest Bank's most recent survey, but it's still lower than surrounding states and considerably lower than the national outlook on the economy. read more >

In the past decade, the players in the Fayetteville Shale have shuffled and consolidated, drilling has peaked and retreated, employment has expanded and contracted, technology has advanced, environmental and infrastructure concerns have reared their heads and government has responded. read more >

Vacancy rates during the first six months of 2014 in the northwest Arkansas commercial real estate market were down nearly 1 percent from a year ago, while multifamily vacancy rates were up more than 2 percent, according to the Skyline Report from Arvest Bank. read more >

The names of Arkansas’ largest employers remain mostly unchanged from a year ago — and every year. State government is still atop the list with nearly 57,000 employees. read more >

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s announcement in January 2013 that it would help resuscitate the U.S. manufacturing industry by buying an additional $50 billion worth of American-made items during the next decade has been met with skepticism and cheers. read more >

Kathy Deck, the director of the Center for Business & Economic Research at the University of Arkansas, said the state reported 155,100 manufacturing jobs in December 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The drop of 300 jobs from the 155,400 reported in December 2012 is a decrease of about 0.2 percent. read more >

Of the 18 retailers among the 75 largest private companies, 16 showed revenue increases over 2011 figures, one remained flat and only Russell Chevrolet of Sherwood, whose revenue was estimated, dipped slightly. read more >