Latest Job Outlook Looks Strong For State, County

By David Howell

Editor

JACKSON – The number of jobs in Mississippi in November were at a historic high and the unemployment rate was near a historic low and Yalobusha County’s statistics were part of the success as the county recorded the lowest jobless rate since 1998.

The latest figures from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) show that Yalobusha County’s November unemployment rate of 4.1 percent is lower than the state average of 4.7 percent. MDES reported that only 210 people out of the county’s 5,070 labor force were unemployed. The labor force is defined by MDES as the estimated number of people eligible for work or actively seeking employment.

The county’s jobless rate is a half a percentage point lower than a year ago, when the county’s unemployment rate was 4.6 percent. The only month with a lower rate since 1990 was in April, 1998, when 3.9 percent of the county’s work force was unemployed.

In comparison to the five surrounding counties, the Yalobusha unemployment rate was less than Panola (4.9) and Tallahatchie (4.2), but more than Calhoun (3.7), Grenada (3.8) and Lafayette (3.3). 

MDES paid $5,199 for unemployment benefits in November as compared to  $25,616 the same month a year ago.