Arkansas
Labor Market
Report
August 2017
Table of Contents
Monthly Spotlight...... 2
Arkansas Labor Force Summary...... 3
Arkansas Nonfarm Payroll Jobs...... 4
Arkansas Production Workers...... 6
Metropolitan Statistical Areas...... 7
Micropolitan Statistical Areas/Cities...... 14
County Labor Force Statistics...... 15
Local Workforce Development Areas...... 18
Technical Notes
The Arkansas Labor Market is prepared monthly in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bu- reau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The current month’s estimates are preliminary, while previous month’s data is subject to revision.
Estimates of nonfarm payroll jobs show the num- ber of jobs by industry and reflect employment by place of work. Hours and earnings estimates are based on payroll and worker-hour data col- lected for production workers in manufacturing industries.
Industries are classified according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). All estimates are based on a first quarter 2016 benchmark.
Explanation of Terms and Concepts
Monthly Business Survey of Employers
A monthly sample survey designed to provide industry information on nonfarm payroll jobs. Data are compiled each month from mail surveys and telephone interviews conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in cooperation with Department of Workforce Services. The data are based on establishment records and include all workers, full-or part-time, who received pay during the payroll period which includes the 12th of the
month. Approximately 5,000 Arkansas business
establishments are surveyed.
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
A term applied by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to counties that have one or more central cities and that meet specified criteria of population density, commuting patterns and social and economic integration.
Current Population Survey (CPS)
A monthly sample survey of the population 16 years of age and over, designed to provide data on the labor force, the employed and the unem- ployed. The survey is conducted each month by the Bureau of the Census for BLS. The information is collected by trained interviewers from a sample of about 60,000 households. The data collected are based on the activity reported for the calendar week including the 12th of the month. Approxi- mately 800 Arkansas households are represented in the sample survey.
Civilian Labor Force
The sum of all employed and unemployed persons
16 years of age or older. Members of the Armed
Forces are excluded.
Employment
An estimate of the number of persons who worked any time for pay or profit or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in a family business dur- ing the calendar week which includes the 12th of the month. Also included are those who, although not working, had some job attachment and were not looking for work, and persons involved in labor management disputes.
Unemployment
An estimate of the number of persons who did not have a job, but were available for work and actively seeking work during the calendar week which includes the 12th of the month.
Unemployment Rate
The number of unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force. Unemployment rates are calculated from unrounded data.
Seasonal Adjustment
A statistical technique applied to monthly data to eliminate changes that normally occur during the year due to seasonal events such as weather, major holidays, schedule shifts, harvest times, and the opening/closing of schools.
August Spotlight
Seasonal Employment Trends (Par t 1 of 2)
Employment in several major industry sectors is directly affected by seasonal patterns. These patterns can be seen by comparing monthly employment across multiple years. Seasonal trends can be attributed to set schedules of operation, holidays, or weather patterns. Examples of all three types are provided.
Education is one of the most obvious examples of seasonal employment. Most of Arkansas’ public schools and universities are scheduled to operate from August to May. Chart 1 shows how state and local government em- ployment is affected by the operation schedule of public schools. Note that the number of jobs begin to decline between May and June, reaches a low in July, and then increases between August and September. Jobs remain fairly stable during the rest of the year, with the exception of the holiday-related drop in December/January.
While employment at public universities and secondary schools falls under state and local government, employ- ment at private universities and private secondary schools falls under educational services. This is a subsector under educational and health services. With the exception of the few schools that utilize a three-quarter system, the majority of private schools operate on the same August to May schedule as public schools. Chart 2 below shows the seasonal employment trends of private edu-
200,000
195,000
190,000
185,000
180,000
175,000
170,000
20,000
Chart 1. Jobs in State and Local Government
January 2015 - August 2017
J F M A M J J A S O N D
2015 2016 2017
Chart 2. Jobs in Educational Services
January 2015 - August 2017
cational services, which closely mirrors the trend seen in state and local government.
Leisure and hospitality is another sector affected by seasonal patterns. People tend to travel more during the summer months. Hotels, restaurants, and recreational facilities have increased business during this time and require more employees. Similarly, many recreational facilities in Arkansas are only open during the summer months—amusement parks and camps are prime exam- ples. Chart 3 shows the seasonal employment pattern that occurs in the leisure and hospitality sector. Note that employment begins to steadily rise throughout the spring, peaks in June, and then typically declines slowly throughout the second half of the year.
Chart 3. Jobs in Leisure and Hospitality
January 2015 - August 2017
130,000
18,000
125,000
16,000
120,000
14,000
115,000
12,000
110,000
10,000
105,000
8,000
J F M A M J J A S O N D
2015 2016 2017
100,000
J F M A M J J A S O N D
2015 2016 2017
Civilian Labor Force Summar y
Labor force data, produced by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and released by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, show Arkansas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point, from 3.4 percent in July to 3.5 percent in August. Ar- kansas’ civilian labor force added 3,272, a result of 2,038 additional employed and 1,234 more unem- ployed Arkansans. Reaching 4.4 percent, the United States’ jobless rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point between July and August.
BLS Program Operations Manager Susan Price said, “Arkansas’ unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point in August, as the number of employed and unemployed both rose slightly. The movement in the jobless rate mirrored the trend seen at the national level.”
Civilian Labor Force Estimates
Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted
Civilian Labor Force / Aug 171,377,710 / Jul 17
1,374,438 / Aug 16
1,342,501 / Civilian Labor Force / Aug 17
1,371,780 / Jul 17
1,393,745 / Aug 16
1,345,036
Employment / 1,329,979 / 1,327,941 / 1,288,269 / Employment / 1,323,147 / 1,340,486 / 1,292,067
Unemployment / 47,731 / 46,497 / 54,232 / Unemployment / 48,633 / 53,259 / 52,969
Unemployment Rate / 3.5 / 3.4 / 4.0 / Unemployment Rate / 3.5 / 3.8 / 3.9
U.S. Unemployment / 4.4 / 4.3 / 4.9 / U.S. Unemployment / 4.5 / 4.6 / 5.0
1,360,000
Number of Employed (Seasonally Adjusted vs Not Seasonally Adjusted)
August 2015 - August 2017
1,340,000
1,320,000
1,300,000
1,280,000
1,260,000
1,240,000
1,220,000
1,200,000
Aug
'15
Feb
'16
Aug
'16
Feb
'17
Aug
'17
Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted
Nonfarm Payroll Jobs
Not Seasonally Adjusted
(In Thousands)
(NAICS)
Aug 17 Jul 17 Aug 16
OTM OT Y
Goods Producing / 217.0 / 217.5 / 212.2 / -0.5 / 4.8
Mining, Logging, and Construction / 58.6 / 58.9 / 57.1 / -0.3 / 1.5
Mining & Logging / 6.1 / 6.1 / 6.2 / 0.0 / -0.1
Construction / 52.5 / 52.8 / 50.9 / -0.3 / 1.6
Specialty Trade Contractors / 34.1 / 34.3 / 32.6 / -0.2 / 1.5
Manufacturing / 158.4 / 158.6 / 155.1 / -0.2 / 3.3
Durable Goods / 73.1 / 73.2 / 74.3 / -0.1 / -1.2
Nondurable Goods / 85.3 / 85.4 / 80.8 / -0.1 / 4.5
Service Providing / 1024.2 / 1026.3 / 1006.5 / -2.1 / 17.7
Trade, Transportation Utilities / 254.1 / 257.1 / 252.4 / -3.0 / 1.7
Wholesale Trade / 47.3 / 48.9 / 46.4 / -1.6 / 0.9
Retail Trade / 141.8 / 142.7 / 142.5 / -0.9 / -0.7
Transport, Warehousing Utilities / 65.0 / 65.5 / 63.5 / -0.5 / 1.5
Information / 13.2 / 13.1 / 13.5 / 0.1 / -0.3
Financial Activities / 51.2 / 51.9 / 51.5 / -0.7 / -0.3
Finance Insurance / 37.9 / 38.6 / 38.0 / -0.7 / -0.1
Real Estate Rental Leasing / 13.3 / 13.3 / 13.5 / 0.0 / -0.2
Professional & Business Services / 146.4 / 147.2 / 141.3 / -0.8 / 5.1
Professional, Scientific Technical / 43.6 / 44.2 / 42.2 / -0.6 / 1.4
Management of Companies / 34.0 / 33.7 / 35.5 / 0.3 / -1.5
Administrative Support Services / 68.8 / 69.3 / 63.6 / -0.5 / 5.2
Educational & Health Services / 186.9 / 186.0 / 180.3 / 0.9 / 6.6
Educational Services / 15.6 / 14.3 / 12.6 / 1.3 / 3.0
Health Care Social Assistance / 171.3 / 171.7 / 167.7 / -0.4 / 3.6
Ambulatory Health Care / 58.3 / 57.6 / 53.9 / 0.7 / 4.4
Social Assistance / 37.8 / 39.1 / 39.5 / -1.3 / -1.7
Leisure & Hospitality 123.2 124.3 118.6 -1.1 4.6
Arts, Entertainment Recreation / 12.7 / 13.0 / 12.3 / -0.3 / 0.4
Accommodation Food Services / 110.5 / 111.3 / 106.3 / -0.8 / 4.2
Accommodation Services / 12.9 / 13.2 / 11.7 / -0.3 / 1.2
Food Services / 97.6 / 98.1 / 94.6 / -0.5 / 3.0
Other Services / 49.3 / 49.6 / 47.5 / -0.3 / 1.8
Government / 199.9 / 197.1 / 201.4 / 2.8 / -1.5
Federal Government / 20.2 / 20.5 / 20.3 / -0.3 / -0.1
State Government / 74.5 / 73.0 / 75.0 / 1.5 / -0.5
Local Government / 105.2 / 103.6 / 106.1 / 1.6 / -0.9
Nonfarm Payroll Job Summar y
July 2017 - August 2017
Arkansas’ nonfarm payroll jobs decreased 2,600 in August to total 1,241,200. Seven major industry sec- tors posted declines, while three sectors added jobs. Employment in trade, transportation, and utili- ties dropped 3,000. A majority of the loss occurred in wholesale trade (-1,600), attributed in part to re- ported contractions in farm supplies merchant wholesalers. Jobs in leisure and hospitality decreased
1,100. Accommodation and food services posted most of the decline (-800). Government added 2,800 jobs. Expansions occurred in local (+1,600) and state (+1,500) government, as public educational facili- ties begin the new school year.
August 2016 - August 2017
Compared to August 2016, nonfarm payroll jobs in Arkansas rose 22,500. Growth occurred in seven major industry sectors, with four adding 3,300 or more jobs, each. Employment is down in four industry sectors. Educational and health services reported the largest increase, up 6,600. Gains were seen in both health care and social assistance (+3,600) and educational services (+3,000). Professional and business services added 5,100 jobs. Most of the expansion occurred in administrative and support services (+5,200), a subsector which includes employment agencies. Jobs in leisure and hospitality rose 4,600, largely in food services (+3,000). Manufacturing increased 3,300, all in nondurable goods manufacturing (+4,500). Gains was also reported in other services (+1,800), trade-transportation- utilities (+1,700), and construction (+1,600). Government posted the largest decline, down 1,500.
92,000
Jobs in Nondurable Goods Manufacturing (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
August: 2007 - 2017
90,000
88,000
86,000
84,000
82,000
80,000
78,000
76,000
74,000
72,000
70,000
'07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17
Production Workers- Hours and Earnings
Manufacturing
Aug 17 Jul 17
Aug 16
Average Weekly Hours Average Hourly Earnings Average Weekly Earnings
39.4
16.29
641.83
39.8
16.05
638.79
41.0
15.64
641.24
Durable Goods and Nondurable Goods Manufacturing
Durable Goods Manufacturing Nondurable Goods Manufacturing
Aug 17 Jul 17
Aug 16
Aug 17 Jul 17
Aug 16
Average Weekly Hours Average Hourly Earnings Average Weekly Earnings
41.0
17.94
735.54
39.6
18.10
716.76
42.6
17.36
739.54
Average Weekly Hours Average Hourly Earnings Average Weekly Earnings
38.1
14.88
566.93
39.9
14.41
574.96
39.5
13.94
550.63
$800.00
Average Weekly Earnings: Durable Goods vs. Nondurable Goods
August: 2007 - 2017
$750.00
$700.00
$650.00
$600.00
$550.00
$500.00
$450.00
$400.00
$350.00
$300.00
'07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17
Durable Goods Nondurable Goods
Little Rock-Nor th Little Rock-Conway MSA
The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway MSA= Faulkner, Grant, Lonoke, Perry, Pulaski, & Saline counties.
Civilian Labor Force Estimates (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Aug 17 / Jul 17 / Aug 16 / OTM / OT YCivilian Labor Force / 359,448 / 367,752 / 353,122 / -8,304 / 6,326
Employment / 348,064 / 355,378 / 340,768 / -7,314 / 7,296
Unemployment / 11,384 / 12,374 / 12,354 / -990 / -970
Unemployment Rate / 3.2 / 3.4 / 3.5 / -0.2 / -0.3
Nonfarm Payroll Jobs (Not Seasonally Adjusted)