Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nevada County's Employment Stable

There was stability in the employment situation in Nevada County from October to November, according to the Arkansas Employment Security Division.

The unemployment rate for the county remained unchanged at 5.9 percent for the period recorded.

For the most part, the jobless figures dropped a little in surrounding counties.

Clark County was one of the exceptions as its unemployment numbers rose slightly from October's 2.6 percent to 2.8 percent in November.

Columbia County, though, saw a slight decline in its jobless statistics, as it fell from 5.9 percent to 5.3 percent.

There was also a drop in the figures from Hempstead County, as the changed from 6.3 percent in October to 5.7 percent in November.

Lafayette County saw a fairly significant drop from 5.7 percent to an even 5.0 percent for the month.

There was also a decent drop in the unemployment rate for Ouachita County, as its numbers went from 9.1 percent in October to 8.4 percent in November.

Pike County's stats remained unchanged at 4.0 percent for both months.

Looking at the rankings based on unemployment rates, Clark County enters the tables in 6th place with its 2.8 percent figures.

Next on the list is Pike County at 19th, with its 4.0 percent, while Lafayette County enters the foray in 39th position with its 5.0 percent numbers.

Columbia County follows in 43rd place at 5.3 percent, while Hempstead County is ranked 47th at 5.5 percent.

Nevada County enters the tables in the 52nd spot, at 5.9 percent, while Ouachita County brings up the rear in 71st out of Arkansas' 75 counties.

Eight counties in the state have jobless figures from 2.0 to 2.9 percent, with Scott County having the lowest unemployment in the state at 2.1 percent.

There are 10 counties in the bracket from 3.0 to 3.9 percent, while another 20 fall into the 4.0 to 4.9 percent category.

The 5.0 to 5.9 percent division houses 16 counties, while there are eight counties in the 6.0 to 6.9 percent region.

Nine counties comprise the 7.0 to 7.9 percent jobless rate in the state, while four fall in the 8.0 to 8.9 percent division.

Only one county in the state has a jobless rate from 9.0 to 9.9 percent, Searcy County at 9.0 percent.

For the first time since November 1995, there are no counties with double digit unemployment in Arkansas.

And, for the fourth straight month, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Arkansas fell, dropping 3/10 of a percent to 4.7 percent in November. The national jobless rate also fell 0.1 percent, to 4.6 percent overall.

According to ESD figures, the jobless rates were lower in 33 counties in November than in October, but were higher in 31 and unchanged in 11.

Checking the state's five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), the Fayetteville- Springdale-Rogers MSA again has the lowest jobless rate in the state at 2.5 percent, falling from 2.6 percent in October.

And, again, the Pine Bluff MSA has the highest unemployment figures at 6.2 percent in spite of a drop from 6.7 percent a moth earlier.

The Jonesboro and Little Rock-North Little Rock MSAs were deadlocked at 3.3 percent for November. This represents no change for Jonesboro, but a drop from 3.6 percent to the 3.3 percent figure for the Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA.

The Fort Smith MSA saw more of its work force finding jobs as its numbers dropped from 5.2 percent to 4.8 percent for the recording period.