Fort Smith metro ends 2024 on a positive jobs note

The Fort Smith metro ended 2024 with a lower jobless rate and a net job gain of 1.3% compared with December 2023. The education and health services, manufacturing, and tourism sectors helped push year-over-year job numbers higher.

Recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures note that the Fort Smith metro had an estimated 117,640 jobs in December, up 1,561 jobs, or 1.3%, compared with December 2023. The December jobless rate was 3.4%, better than the 3.8% in December 2023.

The pace of Fort Smith metro job growth was behind the 4% in the Jonesboro metro, the 3.3% in Northwest Arkansas, and the 3.1% in central Arkansas.

The region’s labor force – number of people eligible for the workforce – was an estimated 121,736 in December, up 0.9% compared with 120,625 in December 2023.

The year-end jobs tally of 117,640 was below the 2024 monthly high of 119,155 in June, and regional employment remains well below the peak of 124,098 in June 2006. The metro had 4,096 unemployed, down from 4,546 in December 2023. The December numbers are preliminary and subject to revision.

Among top employment sectors in the Fort Smith metro, education and health services had 600 job gains in December, manufacturing had 300, and the tourism sector had 200 job gains. Sectors with year-over-year job losses were trade, transportation and utilities (down 500 jobs) and government (down 200 jobs).

Following are the December jobs data and monthly average comparisons for the key sectors.

• Trade, Transportation and Utilities
December 2024: 24,300
December 2023: 24,900

Monthly job averages
2024: 24,100
2023: 24,100
2019 (pre-pandemic): 23,200
Record: 24,400 in 2022

• Education and Health Services
December 2024: 19,600
December 2023: 19,000

Monthly job averages
2024: 19,300 (a record for the sector)
2023: 18,500
2019 (pre-pandemic): 17,400

• Manufacturing
December 2024: 19,500
December 2023: 19,200

Monthly job averages
2024: 19,400
2023: 19,000
2019 (pre-pandemic): 17,400
Record: 30,600 in 1999

• Government
December 2024: 16,800
December 2023: 17,000

Monthly job averages
2024: 16,500
2023: 16,600
2019 (pre-pandemic): 18,300
Record: 18,300 first set in 2017

• Professional and Business Services
December 2024: 12,000
December 2023: 12,100

Monthly job averages
2024: 11,900
2023: 11,800
2019 (pre-pandemic): 12,400
Record: 13,000 in 2018

• Leisure and Hospitality (tourism)
December 2024: 10,000
December 2023: 9,800

Monthly job averages
2024: 10,200 (a record for the sector)
2023: 10,100
2019 (pre-pandemic): 9,500