Unemployment rates fall in 27 US states amid broad hiring

Arkansas’ unemployment rate fell to 5 percent in November, matching the national rate, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.

The United States’ jobless rate remained stable at 5.0 percent in November.

Alaska’s unemployment rate stayed unchanged at 6.4 percent for a third month in a row in November, remaining above the national rate, according to the state’s labor department.

The numbers show that most American workers are enjoying job security.

The main jobs in California were added by construction, transportation, utilities, manufacturing, education, health services along with leisure and hospitality industries.

Solano County’s 5.6 percent jobless rate for November tied with Sacramento County at 19th among the 58 counties in the state.

New Mexico had the nation’s highest unemployment rate in November, at 6.8 percent. “The last time Arkansas’ rate was at 5 percent was in April 2008”. Professional and business services added 6,000 jobs.

The Central Valley’s unemployment rate rose slightly in November with San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties each registering increases ranging from 0.4 percent to 1.9 percent. Employers added jobs in 35 states, while employment fell in 14.

The Labor Department report also shows that jobless claims slipped 500 in the last four weeks, while nonfarm payrolls saw an increase of 211,000 in the last month.

Workforce Development Commissioner Steven Braun says Indiana’s total unemployment insurance claims for 2015 were at their lowest levels since 1997. The total number of unemployed was 17,000 fewer than the same month in 2014.

A separate survey of households indicates that the state’s labor force grew last month, pushing the unemployment rate further downward to pre-recession levels.

On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott said that Florida has added more than 1 million private-sector jobs since he took office in 2011. That was up from 334,244 in October but down from 392,610 in November 2014.

Scott promised to create 700,000 jobs in seven years during his 2010 campaign. Big gains in construction jobs boosted hiring in both states. Employment in manufacturing dropped 5,700.