LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – After a summer of record lows, the Arkansas unemployment rate has begun to climb.
According to the September report by the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, the September unemployment rate is up to 2.9%. This is following the August rate of 2.7%, which followed a record-low 2.6% in July.
The state began the year with a 3.4% unemployment rate.
The uptick refers to a change in the number of people looking for work. The state’s civilian labor force increased by 2,798 in September, with 2,561 being added to unemployment rolls as more people were looking for work, according to the Workforce Services monthly report.
The report states that compared to September 2022, Arkansas has 29,978 more people employed and 7,698 fewer people unemployed. The largest gains since last year in non-farm payroll job categories were for jobs in education and health services, followed by leisure and hospitality and then construction jobs.
The national unemployment rate remains stable for September at 3.8%.
