Overall unemployment rate moved down to 3.9% with the biggest shift in Government, which lost 2,100 roles, based on the most recently available information published in September 2021.
Total employment in the Fort Smith, AR-OK market rose by 51 jobs in July and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 60 bps to 3.9%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 43 bps over the same time to 5.7%.
- Fort Smith, AR-OK unemployment rate is 176 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
- Unemployment in the market is 330 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
- Average wages (per hour) grew in July versus prior month by 0.3% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -1.4%. Key sectors include:
- Transportation & Utilities: 23,300; -300
- Manufacturing: 16,900; +300
- Education & Healthcare: 16,700; +100
- Government: 15,200; -2,100
- Business Services: 12,500; +600
- Restaurants & Hotels: 9,400; -100
- Construction, Mining: 5,800; -100
- Other Jobs: 4,700; no change
- Financial Services: 3,800; no change
- IT & Development: 1,100; no change
Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through July 2021 (Data published September 2021 and reports created on September 1, 2021). Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.
Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.