jobs

States see record low unemployment across the U.S.

BY: - May 24, 2023

Across much of the country, the jobs market is as strong as it’s ever been, and Black women, young people and people with disabilities are among the workers benefiting, recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show. Twenty states reported an unemployment rate under 3% in April, while 15 states saw record lows, led by […]

Pulaski County, Shorter College receive federal economic development grants

BY: - May 4, 2023

Pulaski County and Shorter College in North Little Rock are getting $4.3 million in federal funds to support business growth and workforce development, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced Tuesday. The Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration is providing grants of: $3 million for Pulaski County to extend rail service at the Port of Little […]

Migrants board a border patrol bus.

Labor exploitation of unaccompanied migrant children probed at U.S. House hearing

BY: - April 18, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House members in a hearing on Tuesday questioned the head of a federal agency in charge of unaccompanied migrant children about multiple reports of their exploitation as workers in U.S. meatpacking plants and elsewhere. Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight & Accountability Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs […]

Natalie Bell, 23, an art student turned welder from Columbus, Ohio, says a welding class and a chance pizza delivery led her to a career in construction. She's worked in construction since 2019. (Photo by Graham Stokes for States Newsroom)

Help wanted: Women needed for U.S. chips manufacturing plan to succeed

BY: - March 27, 2023

Natalie Bell was thinking about a career in art after college when a welding class and a delivery of four pizzas changed her career trajectory.  “I was taking a delivery out to a construction site, and I met an ironworker who I was taking the delivery to,” said Bell, who lives in Columbus, Ohio. “I […]

Women walking by a 'now hiring' sign.

Powell signals higher interest rates. Here’s why Friday’s jobs report will affect Fed’s decision.

BY: - March 8, 2023

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said this week that interest rate increases could be higher and come faster if Friday’s unemployment data shows the nation’s labor market isn’t cooling off. Stock indexes fell after his comments. That’s been a familiar pattern over the past year as the federal bank has tried to combat inflation.  A […]

USDA to use outdoor recreation to boost economy around national forests, grasslands

BY: - January 30, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture began planning this month to develop outdoor recreation opportunities near national forests and grasslands, part of a broader Biden administration push to help communities reap economic rewards from the growing recreation sector. Three USDA agencies — the U.S. Forest Service, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and […]

Arkana Laboratories executive director Chris Larsen speaks at a podium on a green lawn. Guest speakers sit behind him in white chairs.

$30-million Arkana Laboratories expansion to create Little Rock jobs

BY: - September 7, 2022

Little Rock-based Arkana Laboratories is launching a $30-million expansion project that will create 74 new positions by 2028. As the largest renal pathology lab in the country, Arkana Laboratories processes an estimated 40% of the country’s kidney biopsies. The company makes more than $30 million annually, and some of its best-known competitors include the Mayo […]