Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Increase In Unemployment Has Little Meaning

Clark County's unemployment rate jumped 0.4 percent from December to January, according to the Arkansas Employment Security Division (ESD).

The figures climbed from 3.8 percent to 4.2 percent, but there is no cause for alarm. The number of unemployed residents rose by 25 people, from 450 to 475 county-wide for the recording period.

Jobless rates in all surrounding counties also rose for the period in question, with the exception of Dallas County, as it fell from 11.1 percent to 6.9 percent.

In Hot Spring County, the rise was minimal, going from 5.9 percent to 6.0 percent, while the figures from Montgomery County rose more sharply, from 5.3 percent to 6.1 percent.

Nevada County's jobless rate went from 8.3 percent to 8.9 percent, while Ouachita County returned to the realm of double-digit unemployment, as its figures changed from 9.7 percent to 10.8 percent.

In Pike County, the numbers changed from 5.6 percent to 6.6 percent.

Ironically, the state's seasonally adjusted jobless rate went down a tenth of a percent to 5.1 percent in January. Nationally, the figures remained unchanged at 4.3 percent.

Checking the rankings based on unemployment, Clark County enters the tally in 11th position.

Hot Spring County is next on the regional list in 24th place, while Montgomery County comes in at 26th.

Pike County rates 32nd, with Dallas County in 38th place. Nevada County enters the roster in the 49th post, while Ouachita County placed 65th.

Benton County had the lowest jobless rate in the state at 2.7 percent, while Woodruff County had the highest figure at 17.7 percent.

Benton County was also the only county in the state with jobless figures from 2.0 to 2.9 percent.

There were five counties recording unemployment rates from 3.0 to 3.9 percent, and 12 in the 4.0 to 4.9 percent range.

The 5.0 top 5.9 percent category housed five counties, while there were 16 counties with unemployment figures from 6.0 to 6.9 percent.

Three more counties found themselves in the 7.0 to 7.9 percent bracket, with seven in the 8.0 to 8.9 percent slot.

A total of 10 counties registered jobless numbers from 9.0 to 9.9 percent, with six counties finding themselves in the 10.0 to 10.9 percent group.

Three counties had jobless figures from 11.0 to 11.9 percent, while there were two each with 12.0 to 12.9 and 13.0 to 13.9 percent.

One county fell into the 14.0 to 14.9 percent division, with one, Woodruff (17.7 percent) in the 17.0 to 17.9 percent department.

In all, there were 16 counties with unemployment rates higher than 10 percent.

Arkansas' five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) all saw their unemployment numbers rise during the month as well.

In the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA, the figures rose from 2.8 percent to 3.2 percent.

The Little Rock-North Little Rock rate changed from 3.4 to 3.8 percent, while the Jonesboro MSA's total went from 3.6 percent to 4.1 percent.

Changes for the Fort Smith MSA saw the numbers go from 5.0 percent to 5.3 percent.

The Pine Bluff MSA had the highest unemployment rate once again, but also has the slightest increase as its figures rose from 8.5 percent to 8.7 percent.