LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The state’s jobless rate ticked lower in July but the number of Arkansans with jobs was down 7.6% year over year, and the number of unemployed rose almost 90% year over year, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report posted Friday (Aug. 21).
The July jobless rate of 7.1% was well above the 3.6% in July 2019, but down from the 8.1% in June. The report marked the fourth full month of COVID-19 impacts on the economy.
The number of employed in Arkansas during July was an estimated 1,212,619, down 99,893 jobs, or 7.6% lower, compared with July 2019. The state’s labor force – the number of people eligible to work – was 1,304,752 in July down 4.1% compared with the 1,361,041 in July 2019, and down from the 1,314,162 in June.
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