Unemployment in Arkansas was stable from March to April, according to the latest report from the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services.
In April, unemployment held steady at 4.4 percent after eleven consecutive months of declining unemployment. Arkansas’ unemployment rate has declined since April 2020, when unemployment hit a peak of 10 percent due to significant job losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the unemployment rate in Arkansas has declined, it has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. The unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in March 2020, 3.8 percent in February 2020 and 3.7 percent in January 2020.
“Our stable unemployment rate assures me that we are steadily moving in the right direction after more than a year of COVID-19,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement. “Before the pandemic, our economy was strong. We’ve encountered many challenges over the past 15 months, but we have persevered and fought our way back from the 10 percent rate a year ago.
Nonfarm-related jobs increased in April by 6,100 to 1,266,200 jobs. There was an increase of 3,800 new jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry.
“The highlight of the report is that more Arkansans are finding jobs and returning to the workforce. I am particularly pleased with the employment gains in the hospitality industry, and I am hopeful the next month will show even more Arkansans returning to work,” Hutchinson said.
While Arkansas saw a decrease in unemployment, the national unemployment average increased slightly. The rate increased to 6.1 percent in April from 6.0 in March. National unemployment hit a staggering height of 14.7 percent in April 2020 before dropping to 13.3 percent in May 2020 and 11.1 percent in June 2020. This is the first increase in the national unemployment rate since April 2020, along the unemployment rate stayed steady from November to December 2020 at 6.7 percent.
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