Arkansas' economic recovery policy may result in a better-trained workforce in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. | Gov. Asa Hutchinson's website
Arkansas' economic recovery policy may result in a better-trained workforce in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. | Gov. Asa Hutchinson's website
Arkansas policy during its economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis may produce a better-trained workforce with the introduction of new programs, according to a report by Arkansas Business.
In an official statement, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said reports of job growth in the manufacturing, hospitality and food service industries were "encouraging," noting the state "workforce is in transition now."
"With workforce training programs available and with the urgent demand for workers, this is an excellent time for those who left the labor force during the pandemic to transition to a higher-skills job or a better-paying job," Hutchinson said.
From May 2020 to May 2021, at least ten major industry sectors in Arkansas have experienced significant employment growth. The three sectors that experienced the most increase were leisure and hospitality, which gained 20,300 jobs; professional and business services, which added 13,200 jobs; and manufacturing, which added 11,000 jobs, according to Arkansas Business.
Businesses owners in Arkansas have reported the rise in the number of job applicants following Hutchinson's May 14 decision to withdraw from the extra federal unemployment benefits, according to a news report by ABC 7.
"The $300 federal supplement helped thousands of Arkansans make it through this tough time, so it served a good purpose," Hutchingson stated in a press release. "Now we need Arkansans back on the job so that we can get our economy back to full speed."
Tammy Wheaton, director of Goodwill Industries of Arkansas' career services program, has seen this rise firsthand. She stated that Arkansans looking to re-enter the workforce are seeking to acquire new skills by visiting one of the organization's nine career centers located across the state.
"The employer that we're working with today, they have over 100 positions available," Wheaton told ABC 7. "Most of the employers that we're working with, they have several available, 20 or more."
Arkansas has recently launched its "Ready for Life" website, which aims to help provide Arkansans with the skills they need to find employment, according to a report by KTBS.
The site currently offers over 8,800 jobs and 9,000 free career-related skills courses in order to help transition Arkansans from unemployment and back into the workforce with higher pay.
Between April and May of 2021, the state's unemployment rate remained low at 4.4%, compared to the national unemployment rate of 5.8%. Additionally, nonfarm payroll jobs grew by 70,500 in the state compared to May 2020, according to the Arkansas Business report.
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