Report: Jonesboro Weathered Recession Well, Leads State in Job Growth

The Great Recession caused millions of workers nationwide to lose their jobs in 2008 and afterward, and thousands of those losses were in Arkansas. Jonesboro, however, fared much better than other Arkansas cities during the economic downturn, and its job growth continues to be a standard-bearer in the Natural State. Jonesboro has a broad job base that includes agriculture, government jobs, medical services and other sectors that help keep it somewhat immune to national trends, said Randall Kesselring, an economics professor at Arkansas State University. The lack of a major manufacturer in the city also means the area doesn’t suffer from the volatile economic fluctuations that plague other parts of the state and country. “We still get hit when the economy trends downward,” Kesselring said. “But we tend to lose fewer jobs and bounce back faster because of our diverse jobs base.” Jonesboro had the most robust job growth among the state’s major metropolitan areas in 2015, and that growth is expected to continue into this year, according to a report released by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Northeast Arkansas’ hub city had a 4.3 percent spike in job growth last year, and it’s estimated the jobs market will grow by another 2.3 percent this year, the report says. That means Jonesboro ranked first in the state in percentage job growth in 2015 and is projected to finish second in 2016. Jonesboro is also projected to finish 64th in the c...
Source: Arkansas Business - Health Care - Category: American Health Source Type: news