Arkansas unemployment rate remains low, holding steady in May report

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The unemployment and jobs numbers were good news for Arkansas in the latest Division of Workforce Services report.

The Tuesday report showed Arkansas’s unemployment rate remains at 3.4% for May, the second month at that low level after a steady four-month decline.

The report’s authors said the 2,798 increase in the Arkansas civilian labor force and 3,406 employment jump are record-high levels for May, breaking the previous record set in April.

The May civilian labor force is made up of 1,391,150 people in the report, 46,918 of whom are unemployed.

The study showed that compared to May 2023, the number of employed in the state has increased by 8,502 people.

The May report stated that nonfarm payroll jobs are up by 18,600 for the month. Education and health services saw the biggest rise at 6,700-plus jobs, followed by construction with a 4,200-plus job increase.

The report showed that manufacturing lost 1,500 jobs in May, the only job category that had a drop.

The Natural State’s low unemployment numbers are tracking below the U.S. average, currently at 4%, up a tenth from April’s 3.9%.

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