July 9, 2020
June unemployment report less dismal
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts:
- June report shows 4.8 million-person employment increase
- May report showed 2.7 million-person increase
- Employment still lingers below pre-pandemic levels
(254 words)
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The June report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed more people earning paychecks, but unemployment rates still exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels.
“The report was considerably more positive than most pre-report estimates anticipated, suggesting that the recovery in June from COVID-related shutdowns was stronger than expected,” said John Anderson, head of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
“The headline number from the report was an increase in total non-farm payroll employment of 4.8 million persons,” he said. “This follows an increase of 2.7 million in May.
“This two-month gain in employment of 7.5 million people is unprecedented in the employment data for the entire” post-World War II period, Anderson said. “Unfortunately, it follows a two-month, March-April period in which an-also-unprecedented 22.2 million people lost their jobs.”
While employment remained well below its pre-COVID level, “it has, nonetheless, recovered considerably more rapidly than most observers expected,” he said.
June’s employment gains translated into a drop of 2.2 percentage points in the national unemployment rate, which stood at 11.1 percent. It’s the highest rate of the post-war period. Only December 1982 comes close at 10.8 percent.
The June unemployment rate for Arkansas hadn’t yet been released. The April unemployment rate in Arkansas was 10.8 percent, but fell to 9.5 percent in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
To learn about extension and research programs in Arkansas, visit uada.edu, Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk, @uaex_edu or @ArkAgResearch.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact: Mary Hightower
Chief Communications Officer
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
mhightower@uada.edu
501-671-2006