Arkansas Jobless Rate Falls To 6.2% As Labor Force Shrinks Again
by July 18, 2014 9:24 am 96 views
Arkansas’ jobless rate fell two-tenths of a percent to 6.2% as the labor force continued to shrink.
The 6.2% June unemployment rate in Arkansas is the lowest it has been since November 2008, when it stood at 6.1%.
State workforce officials said the Arkansas trends reflect national employment patterns.
Arkansas’ civilian labor force stood at 1,306,000 in June 2014, down 9,300 workers from May and 19,400 workers from a year ago.
An estimated 1,224,400 Arkansans were working in June compared to 1,231,100 in May and 1,224,600 in June 2013.
The number of unemployed has fallen sharply in the last year. There were 81,600 citizens counted as unemployed in June 2014 compared to 84,200 in May and 100,800 in June 2013.
In November 2008 when the unemployment rate was last at this low, Arkansas’ civilian labor force was 1,366,782. There were 1,283,646 Arkansans employed and 83,136 were unemployed.
According to the separate Monthly Survey of Employers released by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, there were nine industry sectors that experienced growth during the past year versus two sectors that reported declining employment.
EMPLOYMENT
Nonfarm Payroll Jobs
June 2014 vs. June 2013
Mining/Logging +200
Construction +2,600
Manufacturing +3,400
Trade/Transportation +3,000
Information -400
Financial +800
Professional/Business +1,300
Education/Health +3,500
Leisure/Hospitality +3,500
Other +200
Government -300
You can access the full DWS report here.