Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

State's unemployment rising; climbs to 4.9 percent

Arkansas's unemployment rate produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and released July 6, by the Arkansas Employment Security Department, advanced three-tenths of a percentage point to 4.9 percent in June.

The United States's unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point above the 4.0 percent recorded in June 2000.

In June 2000 the Arkansas unemployment report showed 55,800 Arkansans were jobless.

The June 2001 labor force figures, developed by BLS through their national Current Population Survey, showed the number of employed Arkansans increased 2,100 to a level of 1,210,100, while the number of unemployed was up 3,000 to total 61,900.

AESD Director Ed Rolle said, "A decrease of 1,200 non-farm payroll jobs occurred between May and June as seasonal layoffs within the government sector played a major role in over-the-month loss of jobs."

Although total non-farm jobs were down for the first time since January, manufacturing employment realized an increase in jobs for the first time this year, Rolle said.

Despite a decrease in non-farm payroll employment, construction, finance-insurance-real estate and services were at record employment levels.

Since the year 2000 report non-farm payroll employment has advanced by 400. All sectors except manufacturing and government posted increases.

Government employment fell 900 since June 2000  June 2001. This loss was caused by cutbacks in temporary employees hired for Census 2000.

Manufacturing employment fell 11,000 since June 2000. Seventeen of the eighteen manufacturing industries experienced loses and only one industry added workers. Continued downsizing and closings created a decline of 7,400 jobs in durable goods and 3,600 jobs in nondurable goods.

Arkansas's unemployment is rising rapidly according to statistics and predictions made by AESD.