Fort Smith metro jobless rate jumps to 7.7%

Fort SmithNews on the Wire

by The City Wire staff ([email protected]) March 19, 2009 2:58 pm 80 views 

The preliminary January unemployment rate for the Fort Smith region spiked to 7.7%, up from 6.1% in December, and up significantly over 5.9% in January 2008. A loss 2,300 manufacturing jobs between January 2008 and January 2009 played a big role in the rising unemployment rate.

According to figures from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the civilian labor force in the Fort Smith metropolitan area (Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian counties in Arkansas, and LeFlore and Sequoyah counties in Oklahoma) was 138,200 in January, with 10,700 listed as unemployed.

Manufacturing employment totaled 23,400 in January 2009, the lowest level in the past 19 years — which is as far back as the BLS Web site provided figures. The annual average manufacturing employment in the Fort Smith area fell from 31,700 in 1999 to 25,000 in 2008, a decline of more than 21%.

Arkansas’ unemployment rate was 6.4% in January, up from 5.7% in December and 4.8% in January 2008. All Arkansas metro areas saw increases in January unemployment rates.

The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers
January 2009: 5.8%
January 2008: 4.4%

Hot Springs
January 2009: 7.2%
January 2008: 6.4%

Jonesboro
January 2009: 6.6%
January 2008: 6.2%

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway
January 2009: 5.9%
January 2008: 5.2%

Memphis-West Memphis
January 2009: 8.8%
January 2008: 5.8%

Pine Bluff
January 2009: 9.4%
January 2008: 8.9%

Texarkana
January 2009: 5.5%
January 2008: 5%

EMPLOYMENT SECTOR STATS (Fort Smith metro area)
Mining, logging & construction
January 2009: 8,700
January 2008: 8,600

Trade, transportation & utilities
January 2009: 25,100
January 2008: 25,300

Professional and business services
January 2009: 12,600
January 2008: 12,300

Education and health services
January 2009: 16,000
January 2008: 15,500

Leisure and hospitality
January 2009: 8,900
January 2008: 8,900

Government
January 2009: 18,500
January 2008: 18,200

FORT SMITH METRO AREA
Past annual average employment rates
2007: 5.3%
2006: 4.9%
2005: 4.5%
2004: 5.2%
2003: 5.5%
2002: 5%
2001: 4.2%
2000: 3.7%