Overall unemployment rate moved down to 2.4% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which gained 400 roles, based on the most recently available information published in June 2023.
Total employment in the Fort Smith, AR-OK market rose by 1,079 jobs in April and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 40 bps to 2.4%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 53 bps over the same time to 3.1%.
- Fort Smith, AR-OK unemployment rate is 70 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
- Unemployment in the market is 50 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 3% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
For key employment segments of the market, total jobs grew by 1.0% . Key sectors include:
- Transportation & Utilities: 24,500; -100
- Manufacturing: 18,700; +100
- Government: 18,300; +100
- Education & Healthcare: 18,100; +100
- Business Services: 11,400; +200
- Restaurants & Hotels: 10,300; +400
- Construction, Mining: 5,500; +200
- Financial Services: 4,200; +100
- Other Jobs: 3,600; no change
- IT & Development: 1,400; no change
Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through April 2023 (Data published June 2023 and reports created on June 8,2023). Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.
Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.