Arkansas' February unemployment rate is 4.2 percent, down from 4.4. percent in January and 5.6 percent in the same month last year, according to report Friday from the state Department of Workforce Services.
The rate is lowest it's been since September 2000, when it was also 4.2 percent, an all-time low, according to the department.
The report said Arkansas' civilian labor force gained 8,360 workers, a result of 10,702 more employed and 2,342 fewer unemployed Arkansans.
The U.S. jobless rate remained unchanged at 4.9 percent in February.
More: See the full report.
"Arkansas' unemployment rate has been in a steady decline, down one and four-tenths of a percentage point over the year," BLS Program Operations Manager Susan Price said in a news release. "The state is now seven-tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate."
Earlier this month, the department reported January's unemployment rate of 4.4 percent. At the time, Michael Pakko, chief economist and state forecaster at the Institute for Economic Advancement at University of Arkansas at Little Rock, told Arkansas Business he expected the rate to remain at — or slightly below — that level for some time.
"While we may see further declines in the next few months — there may be even a slight up-creep — ... I wouldn’t expect any significant changes," he said.
Friday's report put Arkansas' civilian labor force at 1.35 million in February, up 28,785 from the same month last year. The year-over-year change includes more than 16,000 fewer unemployed workers.
Since February 2015, nine major industry sectors posted job growth and two sectors posted declines, according to the report.
- Trade, transportation and utilities added 9,600 jobs. Gains were reported across all subsectors, with retail trade up 5,600.
- Employment in leisure and hospitality increased by 8,000, with the majority in food services (7,200).
- Educational and health services rose by 6,100, mostly in health care and social assistance (5,300).
- Professional and business services added 2,200 jobs.
- Mining and logging declined by 1,600.
- Manufacturing declined by 1,500.