State unemployment rate falls to 5.7%

Arkansas’ unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 5.7 percent in December, the state Department of Workforce Services said Tuesday.

The state’s jobless rate stood at 5.9 percent in November.

In December, Arkansas’ civilian labor force added 8,500 workers, a result of 9,700 finding work and 1,200 leaving the work force, the department said in a statement, citing U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics figures.

“The increase of 9,700 in December marked the fourth consecutive month of employment gains for the state,” Workforce Services spokesman Becky Heflin said in a statement. “Compared to December 2013, the number of employed is up 19,600.”

Nationwide, the average unemployment rate also dropped two-tenths of a percentage point in December, down to 5.6 percent.

Read Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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