As unemployment rates continue to drop nationally, the trend is particularly noticeable in Mississippi and the Golden Triangle based on the latest data released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security on Wednesday.
Nationally, the economy added 178,000 jobs in November, the 74th consecutive month of job growth, producing the lowest national unemployment rate (4.4 percent) since August 2007.
That trend was even more pronounced in Mississippi. Although the state’s jobless rate of 5.2 percent in November still trails the national average, it marks the lowest unemployment rate in the state in 12 years when seasonal adjustments are considered.
The state’s unemployment rate dropped by a half-point compared to October and a full point when compared to November 2015.
Those figures, while encouraging, also include some less encouraging news.
According to MDES data, there were 900 fewer jobs in the state than in October and 2,400 fewer jobs this November than in November 2015.
Overall, though, the job prospect appears to continue to improve.
The number of unemployed Mississippians dropped in November by 1,600 to 73,400 compared to the previous month. This is the lowest number of Mississippians without jobs since January 2004 when 73,100 were unemployed. The November 2016 figure is 11,900 — lower than a year ago in November 2015.
In the Golden Triangle, there are 4,240 eligible workers without jobs in a labor market of 76,170.
Oktibbeha County, with a November unemployment rate of 4.6 percent, has the 11th lowest jobless rate of the state’s 82 counties, while Lowndes County (5.6 percent) ranks 37th, Clay County (7.0) ranks 65th and Noxubee County (7.6 percent) ranks 70th.
All four counties saw decreases in jobless rates from October and when compared to November 2015.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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