As was the case with the state and nation, unemployment rates in the Golden Triangle changed little in November.
Data released Tuesday by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security show that changes in local unemployment figures between November and October were measured in the tenths of percentage points. While unemployment fell by 0.1 percent in Lowndes County and 0.2 percent in Oktibbeha County, there was no change in Clay County. Meanwhile, Noxubee County’s jobless rate grew by 0.2 percent.
Oktibbeha County’s 5.1 percent unemployment rate remains below the state average of 5.8 percent. The national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.8 percent.
Even with the modest changes, the Golden Triangle remains far better off than it was when compared to last November. Unemployment in Clay and Noxubee counties are down by 2.5 compared to last year, while Oktibbeha County’s jobless rate has fallen by 1.8 percent and unemployment in Lowndes County has fallen by 1.5 percent.
Columbus, at 9.9 percent, has the highest unemployment rate among the state’s 15 largest cities. The city has shown improvement, though. A year ago, Columbus’ unemployment rate was 13.1 percent. It was 18 percent in November 2010.
On a 12-month average, there were 4,510 eligible workers over age 16 who were unemployed out of a labor market of 57,890 in the four Golden Triangle counties, for a jobless rate of 7.7 percent.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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