Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Jobless Rate Skyrockets In July

By JOHN MILLER

For some bizarre reason, the unemployment rate in Clark County skyrocketed from June to July.

According to data from the Arkansas Employment Security Division (ESD), the jobless numbers for the county rose from 3.1 to 7.4 percent during the month in question.

However, Clark was not the only county to see its jobless rate rise. With the exception of Montgomery County, all other counties surrounding Clark had increases in joblessness.

Montgomery County, on the other hand, remained constant at 2.9 percent.

The jobless rate in Dallas County climbed from 7.2 percent to 8.5 percent, while Hot Spring County's numbers leaped from 4.7 percent to 6.2 percent.

Nevada County's unemployment figures rose a full percentage point from 6.7 to 7.7 percent.

Ouachita County saw its numbers break the double-digit barrier for the first time in several months, going from 9.8 percent in June to 10.6 percent in July.

Pike County's figures rose modestly, going from 5.2 to 5.7 percent for the reporting period.

The incredible increase in the jobless rate knocked Clark County out of the top 10 for lowest unemployment in the state. This designation went to Montgomery County.

Pike County came in 28th out of the state's 75 counties, while Hot Spring County entered the tabulation in 31st.

Clark County, for the first time in quite a while, was ranked 45th in the poll.

Nevada County, though, is rated 50th, while Dallas County is No. 54.

Ouachita County enters the foray in 69th place.

Montgomery County was the only county in the state to have a jobless rate below 3 percent.

However, there were six counties with figures ranging from 3.0 to 3.9 percent.

Thirteen counties fell into the 4.0 to 4.9 percent bracket, while 10 counties entered the foray in the 5.0 to 5.9 percent range.

Another 11 counties made up the 6.0 to 6.9 percent category, while the 7.0 to 7.9 percent region contained nine counties.

Eleven counties comprised the 8.0 to 8.9 percent slot, with six counties entering the 9.0 to 9.9 percent area.

There were five counties in the 10.0 to 10.9 percent spot, and three with jobless numbers ranging from 11.0 to 11.9 percent.

The three counties with unemployment rates of 11.0 to 11.9 percent were: Newton County (11.1 percent); Searcy County (11.2 percent); and Lee County (11.9 percent).

Overall the jobless figures climbed in 64 counties, while only four showed any kind of decrease. The other seven remained unchanged.

This moved Arkansas' seasonally adjusted jobless rate to 5.5 percent, up from June's 5.2 percent.

Additionally, it means the state's unemployment figures are again higher than the national average. The seasonally adjusted rate for the U.S. dropped to 4.8 percent in July, down from June's 5.0 percent.

Checking the state's five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), the Fayetteville-Rogers-Springdale MSA was again proud bearer of the lowest unemployment rate at 3.5 percent. However, the highest jobless figure again went to the Pine Bluff MSA with its 9.0 percent showing.

The Little Rock-North Little Rock MSA had a jobless rate of 4.3 percent, while Jonesboro's numbers showed 4.9 percent. The Fort Smith MSA was 5.3 percent.

According to the ESD, the rise in unemployment from June to July was no surprise, and, in face, was expected. This is because students and recent graduates continued looking for work.

Also, some manufacturing plants scheduled vacation shutdowns in July. This put many workers on temporary unpaid leave and onto the unemployment roll.