Oklahoma Jobless Rate Climbs

Oklahoma’s unemployment rate edged up to 5.3 percent in October – but the state still has one of the lowest rates in the country.

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission says the unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point from September’s rate of 5.2 percent.

The agency says that Oklahoma added 1,300 nonfarm jobs in October despite losses in six of the state’s 11 industry sectors. Professional and business services added 2,300 jobs while leisure and hospitality added 2,200 jobs.

The biggest losses came from construction, which decreased by 1,300 jobs, and educational and health services, which lost 700 jobs.

The national unemployment rate is 7.9 percent. Oklahoma’s rate of 5.3 percent is the seventh-lowest in the country.