Arkansas’s unemployment rate is up, though not by very much. The state also still rests below the national average in the September report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
After three months of flat unemployment numbers Arkansas’s rate ticked up from 3.9 percent in August to 4 percent in September.
It still sits a point below the US average of 5 percent and a point below the state’s year ago-level.
Education-related hires grew by nearly 17,000 but those were largely seasonal fluctuations, coinciding with the start of the school year.
Looking at seasonally adjusted numbers, manufacturing grew by 1,200 from August to September but is still a few hundred positions below year-ago-levels. Leisure and hospitality posted gains, adding 2,000 jobs in September.
Construction continued to show declines, by about 400 jobs over the month. The sector is 1,700 jobs below September 2015 levels. Professional and business services also posted losses.
Arkansas is one of 20 states with unemployment rates below the 5 percent national average. New Hampshire and South Dakota lead the nation at 2.9 percent. Alaska has the highest rate at 6.9.
