Natural State News

States in the south continue to fare well in the post-pandemic recovery as the July jobs report reveals Arkansas to be one of the best-performing states in the country. 

Arkansas announced that its unemployment rate slightly improved to 4.3% in the month of July after holding steady at 4.4% for the previous three months. This is more than a whole point lower than the national average.

In addition to a drop in unemployment, the state also saw a rise in the available labor force, a metric that many other states happen to be struggling with. 

The State's labor force increased by just over 11,000 in July in a year-over-year comparison. The labor force is defined as people who are eligible to work. The number of people employed in July 2021 versus July 2020 increased by more than 47,000.

The only negative change was a slight decrease in the number of people employed in July compared to June. It was a difference of a little more than 1,500 people. Because of a corresponding rise in available jobs, this did not negatively affect the unemployment rate. 

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported that the State's general-revenue surpassed expectations by 9.4%, or an extra $51.6 million. The paper also reported that July's total revenue is 21.7% less than it was in July 2020, but the state shifted the deadlines for individual income tax filing and payment deadline from April 15 to July 15, 2020, to match the federal government's movement of the deadlines.

Several key industries saw continued job growth as well. Professional and business services saw 11,000 more jobs; manufacturing saw 9,800 and education and health services increased by 5,500 in year-over-year sector gains. Arkansas' progress bucks the trend of many other states, which are struggling with unemployment and a shortage of labor.