LITTLE ROCK — Unemployment rates rose slightly in Arkansas in October but still remained lower than the national average, officials said Tuesday.
The Department of Workforce Services reported that the statewide unemployment rate increased from 7.7 percent in September to 7.8 percent in October. The national average stands at 9.6 percent.
The rate was also slightly higher than last year, when the October unemployment rate totaled 7.5 percent.
Officials say the state's nonfarm payroll jobs increased by more than 15,000 compared to last month and last year. Professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, government and education and health services each added at least 2,100 jobs from September to October while construction, mining and logging lost a combined 900 jobs.
According to the department's monthly report, the state's civilian labor force increased by 4,500 in October. That marked the first increase since February 2010 for the statistic, which measures the number of people who have a job or are seeking one.