Fewer Mississippians are looking for work than at any point since 1999, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.
The MDES monthly unemployment report, released Wednesday, shows the number of eligible workers with jobs increased by 7,100 in March. Since March 2016, the ranks of working Mississippians have increased by 30,900. As a result, there are currently 65,700 people who are actively looking for work, the fewest in Mississippi in 18 years, according to the data.
Mississippi’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5 percent fell by two-tenths of a percent compared to February and is a full percentage point lower than in March 2016.
The nation’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate is 4.5 percent, 0.2 percent lower than in February and a half-percentage point lower than in March 2016.
Locally, jobless rates remained relatively stable compared to February. Oktibbeha County’s rate ticked up to 4.2 percent compared to 3.8 percent last month. The jobless rate in Lowndes County is 4.8 percent. Clay County’s unemployment rate for March was 6.0 while Noxubee County’s rate was 6.3
Among the largest Mississippi cities, Columbus continues to show progress. The city’s March unemployment rate was 5.6 percent, 1.1 percent lower than March 2016 and almost half of what is was three years ago (11 percent)
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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