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Arkansas jobless rate stays at 4.4% for May
by
Andrew Moreau
|
June 24, 2021 at 1:58 a.m.
In this Sept. 2, 2020, file photo, a "help wanted" sign hangs on the door of a Target store in Uniontown, Pa.
The state's joblessness rate remained unchanged at 4.4% in May, still well below the national unemployment rate of 5.8%, Arkansas officials said Wednesday. Unemployment in Arkansas was 8.5% a year ago as the pandemic strangled the economy.
Ten industry sectors reported growth from April to May, and Arkansas' nonfarm payroll jobs are up 70,500 compared with a year ago, the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services announced.
"We're still making progress toward full employment, it's just much slower than it was a few months back," said Michael Pakko, state economist with the Arkansas Economic Development Institute. "It's a slow slog to get back to full employment, but we're much closer to it than the national average is at this point. It's just a matter of time, I guess."