Arkansas jobless numbers rise more than 12% in September

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by Michael Tilley ([email protected]) ago 11 views 

Arkansas’ year-over-year job numbers were up 1.65% in September, but the number of unemployed was up more than 12%. As a result, the state’s September jobless rate was 3.9%, up from 3.5% in September 2024.

The numbers were posted Tuesday (Dec. 9) by the Arkansas Department of Commerce. Nationwide job numbers for the states will be posted Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Also, the September data is six weeks late because of the federal government shutdown in October and parts of November.

Total nonfarm employment – not seasonally adjusted – was an estimated 1,393,300 in September, up 22,700 jobs, or 1.65%, compared with 1,370,600 in September 2024. The number of unemployed was 55,750, up 12.16% compared with September 2024.

The state’s civilian labor force was an estimated 1,430,617, above the 1415,521 in September 2024. The labor force participation rate was 58.5% in September, slightly higher than 58.4% in September 2024.

The biggest year-over-year sector gains with nonfarm employment were in Education and Health Services (9,800 more jobs), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (4,900 more jobs), and Leisure and Hospitality (4,700 more jobs). Most of the gain in Education and Health Services was in direct health care and social assistance, and retail trade jobs accounted for most of the gain in the Trade, Transportation and Utilities sector. Food services, primarily restaurants, accounted for most of the job gains in the Leisure and Hospitality sector.

Dr. Michael Pakko, chief economist and state economic forecaster with the Arkansas Economic Development Institute at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, said job number shifts between August and September continued the trend of rising jobless numbers.

“Underlying the increase in the unemployment rate was a surge in the number of unemployed, up by 1,891,” Pakko said in his report. “This was the largest monthly increase since the spring of 2023, and adds to the increasing trend in unemployment that has generally prevailed since the spring of 2024. The number of employed Arkansans was also higher in September, increasing by 1,546. As a result, the labor force rose by 3,437.”

ARKANSAS JOB SECTOR NUMBERS
(nonfarm employment, not seasonally adjusted)
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
September 2025: 274,000
September 2024: 269,100

Education and Health Services
September 2025: 223,700
September 2024: 214,900

Government
September 2025: 215,100
September 2024: 214,400

Manufacturing
September 2025: 165,000
September 2024: 162,800

Professional and Business Services
September 2025: 163,100
September 2024: 159,600

Leisure and Hospitality
September 2025: 134,500
September 2024: 129,800

Financial Activities
September 2025: 70,000
September 2024: 69,400

Construction
September 2025: 65,700
September 2024: 67,700