Arkansas' jobless rate rises to 7.2%

Arkansas' unemployment rate ticked up to 7.2 percent in October from 7.1 percent in September, the Department of Workforce Services said Tuesday.

The civilian labor force in Arkansas declined by 4,700 since September, to 1,372,1000 workers, the department said in a statement.

“Arkansas’ unemployment rate rose slightly this month, as employment declined 4,700. There are still 10,300 more employed and 11,000 fewer

unemployed Arkansans than in October 2011,” department spokesman Kimberly Friedman said,

Meanwhile, the U.S. unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.9 percent in October.

An increase in hiring helped reduce unemployment rates in 37 of the 50 U.S. states in October, while jobless rates rose in only seven, The Associated Press reported.

Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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