Arkansas Unemployment Rate Stable at 4.4% For 3rd Straight Month, Still Lower Than National Rate

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas’s unemployment rate remained at 4.4 percent for the third straight month, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, which the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services released today. Arkansas’s unemployment rate is three and four-tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate, which rose from 5.8 percent in May to 5.9 percent in June.

“Our 4.4 percent unemployment rate continues to be significantly below the national rate of 5.9 percent,” Governor Hutchinson said today. “In fact, the national rate has been moving in the wrong direction. While employers are searching for workers to keep their businesses in operation or to expand, the shortage of workers reflects a hesitancy of some to return to the workforce. This hesitancy should diminish in the coming months as federal stimulus money slows, and our workers transition from training into full employment.”

Arkansas to Stop $300-a-week Federal Jobless Benefits; U.S. April Job Numbers Below Estimates

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday (May 7) stopped the state’s participation in federal supplemental jobless benefits which provided an extra $300 a week to those who qualified. The move comes as U.S. jobless data showed far fewer returning to work than expected.

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law in early March by President Joe Biden included $300-a-week federal unemployment benefits through September. The plan also included $1,400 per-person stimulus checks and $350 billion to state, local and tribal governments to cover deficits resulting from the pandemic. The $300 a week equals a $15,600 annual salary.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/05/arkansas-to-stop-300-a-week-federal-jobless-benefits-u-s-april-job-numbers-below-estimates/

Governor Hutchinson Issues Statement on Unemployment Rate Declining to 4.4 Percent

LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson released the following statement on the March unemployment rate declining to 4.4 percent, which is significantly below the national average.

“The decline in the unemployment rate is another encouraging sign that we are emerging from the pandemic, and Arkansans have increasing opportunities to return to good-paying jobs. We do need to increase the numbers in the workforce, and the pandemic has reduced the number of Arkansans available to work. Hopefully, this is short term because hundreds of employers need workers each day.”

New Online Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Portal Ready; Employers Unlikely to see UI Costs RiseO

by Talk Business & Politics staff

Though roughly 60,000 Arkansans are waiting for unemployment assistance, state officials say they have made progress toward eventually cutting checks to help with pandemic economic relief.

On Monday (Feb. 1) Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston and Division of Workforce Services Director Dr. Charisse Childers told reporters that a website to expedite payments for those seeking pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) was ready and receiving visitors. Still, it may be two weeks before new filers will receive benefits.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/02/new-online-pandemic-unemployment-assistance-portal-ready-employers-unlikely-to-see-ui-costs-rise/

Governor Hutchinson Announces Arkansas Unemployment Rate Drops To 4.2 Percent In December

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas’s unemployment rate dropped by 2.1 percent to 4.2 percent in December, which is 2.5 percent lower than the national average of 6.7 percent, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced today.

“The coronavirus knocked the wind out of our sails for a moment, but the strong economic foundation we had built before the pandemic held firm, as I knew it would, and now a robust recovery is in sight,” Governor Hutchinson said. “The falling unemployment rate combined with the $319 million more than we expected in state revenue for fiscal year 2021 are signs that we have taken the right steps to limit the economic damage of COVID-19. This news does not soften the blow of the human toll on our state. We must continue to do everything we can to stop the spread of the virus and to come to the aid of the thousands of Arkansans who have lost loved ones to this disease.”

Arkansas’ civilian labor force increased by 38,904, a result of 65,543 more employed and 26,639 fewer unemployed Arkansans, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services released the report today.

The unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in February and jumped to 5 percent in March when the state recorded its first COVID-19-related death. Arkansas’s unemployment rate peaked at 10.8 percent in April and has declined every month but one since.

Jobless Numbers in Arkansas Both Better and Worse

Arkansas's jobless numbers for August 2020 are better than earlier this year, but they're worse than this time last year. Michael Tilley with Talk Business and Politics explains and discusses several other items making news in the River Valley.

https://www.kuaf.com/post/jobless-numbers-arkansas-both-better-and-worse

Jobless Numbers in Arkansas Both Better and Worse

Arkansas's jobless numbers for August 2020 are better than earlier this year, but they're worse than this time last year. Michael Tilley with Talk Business and Politics explains and discusses several other items making news in the River Valley.