Oklahoma Experiences Lowest Unemployment Rate In 45 Years

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission says Oklahoma is now third in the nation for low unemployment rates. OESC officials say the state's unemployment rate has dropped to 2.7%, which the commission says is the lowest it has been in 45 years.

The OESC told News On 6 that the continued and initial unemployment claims have been dropping for 17 weeks, with a slight increase in claims on the 18th week. Taylor Adams with OESC says Oklahoma has also hit the lowest level of claims since the pandemic began, with the weekly amount falling around 1,800 claims.

“This doesn’t mean that we stop or slow down in our workforce efforts,” Adams said. “If anything this revitalizes us to work even harder to continue to fill those positions.”

Adams said they are working on efforts that will bring people in from other states to fill open positions. She said it’s important to make Oklahoma look appealing to people looking for a quality of life and work.

The OESC said right now, there are far more jobs available than people who need work, which is why we are seeing so many "for hire" signs across the state. Records show there are more than 100,000 jobs available in Oklahoma right now. Many of those jobs are in retail and hospitality.

Adams said they are proud of the low unemployment rate especially because it means Oklahomans were able to get back to work quickly during the pandemic and keep the state’s businesses running during that time as well. She said the credit for the 2.7% level goes out to the Sooner State’s workers.

“That’s actually lower than Oklahoma’s history in 45 years since 1976, so not only are we reaching pre-pandemic levels we are also setting new milestones for the state,” Adams said.