Arkansas unemployment rate up

LITTLE ROCK, AR - According to labor force data released Friday,  Arkansas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point from 7.0 percent in November to 7.1 percent in December.

Arkansas’ civilian labor force decreased 8,500, a result of 8,700 fewer employed and 200 more unemployed Arkansans. The United States’ jobless rate remained stable at 7.8 percent.

Department of Workforce Services Communications Director Kimberly Friedman said, “Arkansas’ unemployment rate increase was spurred by the decline in employment, which brought down the civilian labor force total. The jobless rate is seven-tenths of a percentage point lower than in December 2011 and is still significantly lower than the national rate.”