With students having returned to school, September marks the return to “normal” labor force conditions, when the unemployment statistics better reflect the number of permanent workers in the workforce.
The data translates into a significant dip in unemployment, a trend that is reflected on the local, state and national levels.
According to the data released by Mississippi Department of Employment Security, unemployment numbers not only reflect the return to school, but also show significant improvement compared to last year at this time.
In the Golden Triangle, the jobless rates dropped by an average of a half-a-percentage point compared to August, but more significantly, the jobless rates in Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee have dropped by a full percentage point or more when compared to September 2016. That decline was even more dramatic in Clay County, where the September 2017 jobless rate of 6.1 percent is 1.7 percent lower than it was in September 2016.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Mississippi fell by 0.1 percent compared to last month and half-a-point compared to September 2016. Nationally, the rate declined by 0.2 percent over the past month and by 0.7 percent compared to September 2016.
Seasonally adjusted rates, which are calculated for only state and national rates, factor in regular, recurring events that affect employment such as weather, holidays and school openings and closings.
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