WASHINGTON: The Arkansas unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percent in August to stand at 3.5 percent. The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services said Friday that the total number of people employed increased by just more than 2,000 while the number of unemployed rose by more than 1,200 as the overall workforce increased by more than 3,200. The trade, transportation and utilities sector had the largest decline with 3,000 fewer jobs, and the leisure and hospitality sector dropped by 1,100 jobs while government showed an increase of 2,800 jobs as public schools began the new school year.
Oklahoma’s unemployment rate rose one-tenth of one percent to 4.5 percent in August as the number of unemployed increased by a seasonally adjusted 2,274 and the number of people with jobs fell by nearly 100. The transportation, warehousing and utilities sector added 900 jobs over the month, but was offset by declines of 600 jobs in government, and 200 jobs in both the information and the professional and business services industries. The national unemployment rate for August as 4.4 percent. Oklahoma’s unemployment rate is down a half-percent from August 2016, when the rate stood at 5.0 percent. In the past 12 months, the seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed in Oklahoma has decreased by more than 10,000 people, or 11 percent.
