Arkansas jobless rate up slightly to 7.8 percent in March, 1.9 percentage points below US rate
By APFriday, April 16, 2010
Ark.’s jobless rate rises to 7.8 percent in March
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas unemployment rate for March rose by 0.1 percentage point to 7.8 percent, while the national rate for the month was unchanged at 9.7 percent.
Arkansas Department of Workforce Services spokeswoman Kimberly Friedman said Friday that the state is still feeling the effects of the recession. But a spike in unemployment is common in March. Friedman says that in five of the last 10 years, the state rate has increased in March.
The Arkansas unemployment rate is still tracking about 2 percentage points below the national rate, which has been at 9.7 percent for three months now.
The biggest gain in jobs in the state last month was in construction, which picked up 3,900 workers.
In March 2009, the state unemployment rate was 7.0 percent and the national rate was 8.6 percent.
