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Oklahoma Boasts 8th Lowest Unemployment Rate in the U.S.

Friday, July 16, 2021

Unemployment rate declines to 3.7%, lowest since March 2020

Oklahoma adds 7,6000 jobs, approaching pre-pandemic job numbers

OKLAHOMA CITY (July 16, 2021) - New figures released by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) and the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) show Oklahoma’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 3.7% in June, ranking eighth lowest in the country. The June rate is the state’s lowest since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, when unemployment was at 3.2%. 

The June rate is an improvement from May’s revised rate of 3.9% and below the national unemployment rate, which increased to 5.9% for June.

“I am proud to see Oklahoma as a Top Ten state with one of the lowest unemployment rates in our nation,” said Governor Kevin Stitt. “It’s encouraging to see our state’s unemployment rate and job numbers nearing pre-pandemic levels, and that is a testament to our decision to keep business open and our Return to Work initiative to incentivize Oklahomans to rejoin the workforce.”

Employers around the state added a net total of 7,600 payroll jobs in June, increasing the number of employed individuals to 1,634,500. This compares to 1,701,700 jobs pre-pandemic (Feb. 2020). The estimated number of unemployed Oklahomans fell to 69,543 in June.

“Oklahoma is continuing to make economic progress, and the agency is focused on continuing to foster economic recovery through our re-employment services, including the career fairs we hosted in May and June, and through distributing the governor’s $1,200 Return to Work initiative payments,” said Shelley Zumwalt, OESC Executive Director. “We are excited to see Oklahomans rejoining the workforce and will continue to connect job seekers with employment opportunities available across our state.”  

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Last Modified on Aug 13, 2021