County’s Jobless Rate Falls to 3.8%

RISON - Cleveland County’s unemployment rate fell from 4.1 percent in March to 3.8 percent in April, according to the latest statistics from the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS).According to the unadjusted figures released by ADWS, 2,850 of the 2,963 eligible workers in the county were employed in April.This was the first time this year the county’s unemployment rate has fallen below 4 percent. The jobless rate in January was 4.3 percent before rising to 4.5 percent in February. It has fallen for two consecutive months since then,  dropping to 4.1 percent in March and to 3.8 percent in April.The Arkansas Department of Commerce and the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Tuesday that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained stable at 3.7 percent between April and May. The U.S. jobless rate was also unchanged at 4.2 percent.Cleveland County’s rate of 3.8 percent for April ranked 46th among the state’s 75 counties. It was tied with Cleburne, Miller and Mississippi Counties.Benton County in far Northwest Arkansas had the  state’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.5 percent followed by neighboring Washington County at 2.6 percent. Saline and Madison Counties tied for third at 2.7 percent.Desha County in far Southeast Arkansas had the state’s highest jobless rate at 6.3 percent. It was the only rate above 6 percent.Among the neighboring counties, Grant County was lower at 2.8 percent for April followed by Calhoun and Dallas Counties at 3.4 percent. The remaining counties had higher jobless rates: Drew County at 4.0 percent; Jefferson County at 4.5 percent; Lincoln County at 4.6 percent and Bradley County at 5.4 percent....