Northwest Arkansas' Unemployment Rate Drops To 4.4 Percent

Mark Hobbs wanted a fresh start when he quit his job as a night engineer at a Florida hotel and moved to Northwest Arkansas in April. He heard the economy was good and there were employment opportunities.

The 55-year-old Springdale resident is starting to regret his decision as his money and job prospects run low. He's worked a few temporary jobs, but nothing permanent.

"I'm just trying to find anything to survive," he said. "I'm almost broke."

Hobbs' prospects may be improving. Kathy Deck, director of the Center for Business and Economic Development at the University of Arkansas, said the area's jobless rate is back to prerecession levels.

The metropolitan statistical area's unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent in September, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate was 5.5 percent in September 2013. The state and national rates were both 5.7 percent last month.

Northwest Arkansas' metropolitan statistical area includes Washington, Benton and Madison counties in Arkansas and McDonald County, Mo.

Deck said the last time the local rate fell to 4.4 percent was in 2008. The National Bureau of Economic Research reports the recession ran from December 2007 to June 2009, but it wasn't felt locally until late 2008.

"We are back to very positive numbers," she said.

One downside is a labor force that shrank year-over-year for the sixth consecutive month, she said. The labor force includes both people working and those looking for jobs. Deck said she can't explain the decline and doesn't know why people not able to find employment stopped looking for work. Possible explanations include a large number of people retiring or a shrinking population.

"Every single metropolitan area in Arkansas has had negative labor force growth and that is not the story across the rest of the country," she said.

The employment numbers are preliminary and are likely to change, but Deck said she won't be able to do a good analysis of the labor force decline until the U.S. Census Bureau releases population numbers in the spring.

One problem that arises from low unemployment is a lack of qualified workers for open positions, she said, adding that workforce education is key in a job search.

"Folks who have been unemployed for awhile have to make an extra effort to show they are ready to go," she said. "It takes an investment in skills to get back in the workforce."

Sandy Stout, career specialist at Goodwill Industries' Springdale site, said she offers work force development classes and job fairs to connect clients to jobs.

"I think we are typecast as just helping the poor and homeless," she said. "We do so much more than that. We can help anyone and everyone, people just don't know about it."

The Springdale Goodwill store, 3157 W. Sunset Ave., has 10 computers with free Internet people can use to look for and apply for jobs, she said. The center also offers assistance in resume writing and interview skills. Stout said people can earn certificates in computer programs including Microsoft Word and Excel.

Goodwill next week starts hosting a weekly GED and basic computer class offered through Northwest Technical Institute's Adult Education Center. The class is 1-3 p.m. Tuesday, and Stout said people don't need to register to attend.

She said people should go to Goodwill's website at goodwillar.org for additional class and job fair dates.

"We can help someone get back in the work force. For one hour of their time it is well worth it," she said.