Oklahoma jobless rate lowest since 2008

Oklahoma's jobless rate improved slightly in March, after months without change dating back to September 2017.

Oklahoma's March unemployment rate registered at 4 percent, a change from 4.1 percent in each of the prior six months.

It is the lowest rate since September 2008.

The U.S. unemployment rate for March 2018 measured 4.1 percent.

"We're seeing job growth in a lot of industries, but it is stronger in the goods-producing category," Oklahoma Employment Security Commission Director of Economic Research and Analysis Lynn Gray said. "We're seeing people coming back into the labor force as well. We are seeing people that were out of the labor force and they are coming back in."

The labor force in Oklahoma in March was estimated to be 1,848,393, with 1,773,873 currently employed and 74,520 unemployed.

Total nonfarm employment jobs increased 0.1 percent, about 2,300 jobs, from February to March. Private jobs made up about 1,900 of that total, as well as an increase of about 400 government jobs.

The mining and logging industry saw an increase of 1.4 percent in employment, about 700 jobs, which was the largest

percent change reported for an industry from February to March.

Construction saw the greatest decrease, losing 400 jobs.

However, there is

good news for those who find themselves recently unemployed. The median and mean duration of unemployment in Oklahoma continues to decline.

They currently stand at 8.8 and 17.8 weeks, respectively, compared to 9.9 and 23.4 weeks a year ago.