Anyone looking for an explanation for the dramatic dip in unemployment in the Golden Triangle in August need only look at the calendar.
Based on data released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, jobless rates in Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties dropped by anywhere from 1.4 percent to 2.3 percent in August when compared to July, but those numbers reflect a decrease in job seekers rather than a spike in employment as students returned to the classrooms in August and left the workforce.
Those changes — called seasonal adjustments — are accounted for on the state and national level only. Mississippi’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.3 percent is up slightly compared to July, as is the national unemployment rate.
While the start of the school year distorts the percentages on the county level, some progress has been made. The jobless rate in all four counties is lower this year than in August 2016.
On the state level, the number of jobs remained the same in August as it did in July (1,153,500), but the state has gained 6,900 since August 2016. The current job numbers are the highest in the state since May 2008.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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