Overall unemployment rate moved down to 3.1% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which gained 200 roles, based on the most recently available information published in June 2022.
Total employment in the Fort Smith, AR-OK market rose by 234 jobs in April and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 10 bps to 3.1%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 42 bps over the same time to 3.3%.
- Fort Smith, AR-OK unemployment rate is 24 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
- Unemployment in the market is 100 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
- Average wages (per hour) grew in April versus prior month by 13.4% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
For key employment segments of the market, total jobs grew by 0.4% . Key sectors include:
- Transportation & Utilities: 24,200; no change
- Government: 18,000; +100
- Manufacturing: 17,900; +100
- Education & Healthcare: 16,700; no change
- Business Services: 11,500; no change
- Restaurants & Hotels: 9,600; +200
- Construction, Mining: 5,100; +100
- Other Jobs: 4,300; no change
- Financial Services: 3,800; no change
- IT & Development: 1,200; no change
Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through April 2022 (Data published June 2022 and reports created on June 1, 2022). Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.
Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.