Ark. Jobless Rate Steady At 7.1 Pct In September

CHUCK BARTELS

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas' unemployment rate held steady at 7.1 percent in September, though losses in some job sectors indicate an economic recovery is not yet at hand.

The numbers released Wednesday by the Arkansas Workforce Services Department show the state is doing better than the nation as a whole. The national September unemployment rate rose on 0.1 percentage point to 9.8 percent.

Having so many people unemployed has affected tax revenues. On Tuesday, Gov. Mike Beebe announced a $100 million cut to the state budget, a 2.2 percent reduction in spending.

That cut is modest compared to the billions some states have slashed from their budgets. Yet Arkansas still has 32,200 fewer non-farm payroll jobs than a year ago.

John Shelnutt, an economist with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, noted Wednesday that 4,100 construction jobs were lost in September, compared to 300 construction jobs added in August.

"We were doing better than most other (states in construction jobs)," Shelnutt said. "Based on the September numbers, we moved down quite a bit. It's worth watching."