Hats off to Arkansas’ work force

Hats off to Arkansas’ work force

Our strength as a state comes from your hard work.

We are all reminded of that as we approach the upcoming holiday.

It is believed Labor Day began on Sept. 5, 1882, when some 10,000 workers assembled in New York City for a parade. But it wasn’t until 1894 that Congress passed legislation designating the first Monday in September as a day to pay tribute to the social and economic achievements of American workers.

Arkansas has a great deal to celebrate this year when it comes to our workforce.

We currently have a record unemployment rate of 3.9 percent. We are now in the top 10 states with the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

In celebration of the accomplishments of the Arkansas workforce, we wanted to share with you a few interesting facts about employment in our state.

A few of the largest occupations in our state are in retail sales and truck driving. There are more than 30,000 truck drivers who call our state home and close to 40,000 Arkansans are in retail sales. Retail sales is also the largest occupation nationwide.

The average worker in Arkansas earns $38,540 a year. The highest paying occupation right now is a General Internist with an average salary in our state of $265,360. Orthodontists come in as a close second.

The Arkansas Department of Workforce services also monitors the fastest growing occupations. Analysts with the agency say occupational therapy assistants will see a 54 percent growth in their field from now through the year 2024.

The agency expects to see over 6,000 new jobs created in the next decade in the food preparation and service industry.

The construction industry and the scientific and technical services sector are also growing in our state. We could see over 800 new jobs in computer system design alone in the next two years.

Making sure we have a well trained workforce is a priority for the 90th General Assembly. During the last Regular Session, we passed several bills designed to provide opportunity for more training throughout the state and monitor the growing needs for workers in our communities.

You can learn more about our workforce and programs offered at the Department of Workforce Services website http://www.dws.arkansas.gov/.

From State Representative Milton Nicks