Clark County Unemployment Rate Increases to 11.4%

Clark County Unemployment Rate Increases to 11.4%

Clark County’s unemployment rate is inching upward again, reversing three months of declines. The June 2010 figures, which are the most current available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that June’s unemployment had jumped back to 11.4 percent, up from 9.9 percent in May, but still below the over 14 percent seen last summer.

In June, Clark County had a work force of 3572 workers, with 408 workers looking for jobs.
Workers across the river in Iowa had a little better luck job hunting, with only 10.1 percent unemployment in Lee County. Hancock County, Illinois, had an 11.3 percent unemployment rates.

Clark County’s rate was higher than surrounding counties in Missouri also. In Scotland County, the unemployment rate was 7.2 percent, while in Knox County, the rate was only 6.3 percent. In Lewis County, 8.1 percent of the workforce was unemployed, while in Schuyler County, the rate was 7.0 percent. In Adair County, the unemployment rate in June was at its second highest rate in since 2000, standing at 7.9 percent.

The statewide unemployment rate for Missouri is 9.1 percent. In Iowa, the overall unemployment rate stands at 6.8 percent, and in Illinois, the rate jumps to 10.6 percent. Across the United States, 9.5 percent of Americans were looking for work.

The actual amount of underemployed workers is much higher, ranging from 16.5 percent to 18.4 percent depending on the source.