Natural State News

In Arkansas, economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is starting to show in the statistics. 

Arkansas' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell in July from 4.4%  to 4.3% according to an Arkansas Division of Workforce Services Report as reported in a Magnolia Reporter article. 

In July of 2020, the jobless rate was 7.1%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics Program Operations Manager Susan Price. She noted that the jobless rate has fallen relative to one year ago and that 47,475 more people are employed in Arkansas compared to last year, according to a release. 

"Our unemployment rate continues to be significantly below the national rate, and the fact that unemployment is now down to 4.3% reflects a growing economy in the state," Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in an Aug. 20 release. "The job opportunities are abundant with virtually every employer in Arkansas needing more workers. The challenge is the number of Arkansans who have not returned to the labor force after they lost a job early in the pandemic. There is a constant need to increase the number of workers in order to keep our economy vibrant."

The decrease in unemployment could in part be attributed to the actions of Hutchinson and the state legislature, which backed the governor’s early withdrawal from the federal unemployment bonus in an attempt to increase employment, according to an article by Arkansas Online. 

States that planned to end the federal unemployment benefits in July saw a 10% decline in the number of individuals receiving unemployment benefits by mid-June, while states intending to continue the benefits through September saw only a 5.7% decline, according to Business Insider.