A central message delivered Friday (Jan. 30) by Mervin Jebaraj is that economic conditions in 2026 will look similar to 2025 with employment growth continuing to slow, and wages still just keeping pace with inflation that is still trending close to 3%.
That message was heard by more than 1,000 people who attended the annual University of Arkansas Business Forecast Luncheon in Rogers. Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the UA, discussed local, regional, state and national economies.
Northwest Arkansas added 11,000 jobs in 2025, and Jebaraj expects the region will add around 9,000 in 2026.
"We expect to see continued job growth in professional business services such as lawyers, accountants, people at corporate headquarters and all the people that work with the people at corporate headquarters, that's where we continue to see future job growth," he said.
He also expects to see job growth in the leisure and hospitality and healthcare sectors. The metro unemployment rate in November was 3.2%, lower than the Arkansas rate of 4.1%.
METRO JOB FORECASTS
Jebaraj said Northwest Arkansas has averaged between 10,000 and 12,000 new residents annually...
Source: https://talkbusiness.net/2026/01/economic-forecast-slower-job-growth-likely-inflation-rate-to-dip/
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