LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP, abc24.com) - The state says Arkansas' unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 7.6 percent in January.
The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services says the number of employed Arkansans rose by 5,900 in January to more than 1.2 million. It's a level the state hasn't reached since 2009.
Agency spokeswoman Kimberly Friedman says the state's unemployment rate is a half a percentage point lower than it was in January 2011.
The agency says more Arkansans are working - even though there were fewer jobs available in January. The state says jobs in government fell by 6,500 in January, primarily because of public universities ending the fall semester. Retail trade jobs also decreased by 5,300 after the end of the holiday shopping season.
