(The Center Square) – Arkansas saw one of the largest drops in job openings in the nation in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The figures are from the last business day of July. They show the state saw 14,000 fewer jobs added to the economy in July compared to the previous month when 100,000 jobs were added.
Overall, the number of job openings decreased in five states, increased in six states, and didn’t change much in the other 39 states and the District of Columbia, according to BLS.
The only states that performed worse than Arkansas in terms of job openings were Massachusetts, which saw 18,000 fewer jobs in July compared to June, and Pennsylvania, which added 83,000 fewer jobs.
States that had the largest increases in job openings were California, Florida, and Tennessee.
Arkansas’ unemployment rate has been rising. August’s unemployment rate was 3.4%, up slightly from July’s rate of 3.3%, according to the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services. In June, the unemployment rate was 3.2%.
As of August, there were 45,633 Arkansans who were unemployed, with a total labor force of 1.3 million.
Arkansas has consistently remained below the national unemployment rate, which was 3.7% in August, according to data from the Department of Workforce Service.
