Oklahoma’s jobless rate declines
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Oklahoma’s jobless rate declines
National numbers also show some improvement, especially in largest metropolitan areasBY SUSAN SIMPSON
3 Comments
Published: April 29, 2010Jobless rates in all 77 Oklahoma counties dipped in March, a sign of economic recovery in the state, according to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
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The Oklahoma City area unemployment rate dipped to 6.1 percent in March, with 34,910 jobless people. That’s down from 6.7 percent in February.
The unemployment rate in the Tulsa area decreased to 7.5 percent from 8.1 percent in February. Lawton’s joblessness fell to 5.4 percent in March, down from February’s 6 percent.
"It’s definitely what we’d want to see as we move forward,” said OESC spokesman John Carpenter. "It looks like we are headed in the right direction now.”
Unemployment rates fell or remained level in three-quarters of the 372 largest metropolitan areas, a sign that the recovery is widespread, the U.S. Labor Department said.
The Oklahoma City area gained 4,400 jobs from February to March, with most growth seen in retail, leisure and hospitality, and local government jobs.
The state unemployment rate was 6.6 percent in March, the lowest recorded in 10 months.
Unemployment was highest in Latimer, McCurtain, Sequoyah and Hughes counties. It was lowest in Beaver, Harper and Woods counties.
The Labor Department said Wednesday the jobless rate dropped in 69 percent of metro areas last month from February. It rose in 24 percent of large cities and remained the same in the rest. That’s an improvement from February, when the unemployment rate decreased in 51 percent of metro areas and increased in one-third.
CONTRIBUTING: The Associated Press
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R, Seattle via OKC 3 hours ago
I wonder if the declines have anything to do with the census?Im not sure when the massive hiring began, but I'd hope that they would have adjusted for those temporary jobs and not include them in the actual employment counts. ...
if it is adjusted, then this IS good news!
LikeReplyReply
sharifa, oakpark Need a job? With new Obama Health Care Plan, we are going to insure additional 33 Million people. There is going to be huge demand for Medical Assistants, Medical Billing, Medical Coding, Pharmacy Assistant & Pharmacy Technician across the nation. We can help you get a training during weekends and evenings and get a degree in few months. With the degree finding a job will be easy, contact for more information at http://bit.ly/bk6tp8 this is your chanceLikeReplyReply
R, Seattle via OKC in all fairness sharifa, those health care jobs you quoted have always been in high demand - regardless of a public health care option. Im not sure if your post was serious or if you were just intending to troll. ...LikeLoading comments...Business Photo Galleriesview all
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It is great to not only see that Oklahoma City dropped in unemployment, but that it dropped around the country. Any recovery in the overall housing market will be aided more by people having jobs than anything else. The tax credit stimulus worked to create a brdige, now we just need to keep creating jobs to sustain the momentum.
