Following suit with the rest of the state, Seminole County’s jobless rate was down considerably in June as compared to one year ago.

According to a report released last week by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC), the county posted a rate of 4.9 percent in June, a drop of 78 percent from June 2020 when the rate was 8.7 percent.

The OESC report also shows the county had an available workforce of 9,114 in June, of which 8,668 were reported as employed. June unemployment were

June unemployment were lower than a year earlier in all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. In Hughes County, the rate fell from 8.9 percent to 5.3 percent, Lincoln County’s rate tumbled from 6.9 percent to 3.3 percent and in Pottawatomie County, the rate decreased from 8.0 percent to 3.6 percent. Latimer County posted the highest unemployment rate of 7.4 percent, and Haskell and McIntosh Counties shared the second-highest rate for the month, followed by Pittsburg County. Cimarron County reported the lowest county unemployment rate for the month with a rate of 1.3 percent.

In May, the county’s unemployment rate was down more than five percentage points from May 2020 and in April, the rate fell from 13.1 percent to 5.3 percent.

The OESC last week reported a decline in initial claims and the initial claims’ four-week moving average, with continued claims declining and the continued claims’ four-week moving average increasing.

“Nearly a 50% decline in initial claims is great news for Oklahoma businesses and the state workforce as Oklahomans continue to get back to work,” said Shelley Zumwalt, OESC Executive Director. “The decline is a promising indicator of the direction we’re heading. We are continuing to review applications for the Back-to-Work Initiative. The agency has received more than 2,100 applications from eligible claimants, and we are continuing to pay out the $1,200 to those applicants once approved. We are expecting to see a higher influx of eligible applicants in August and early September as claimants wrap up their six consecutive weeks of employment. I encourage all eligible claimants to apply for the initiative once they’ve completed their six weeks of work.”

In May, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced that the first 20,000 Oklahomans who are on unemployment and get back into the workforce would receive a $1,200 incentive through the American Rescue Plan. All claimants who had an active claim between May 2 - May 15, 2021 and who have completed their six consecutive weeks of employment with an Oklahoma employer may apply for the incentive online at oklahoma.gov/ oesc/individuals.