Jobless Rate Increases In December

WATER VALLEY – Yalobusha County’s unemployment rate is on the rise again going from 12.6 percent in November to 14.1 in December.

Unemployment in the county is the highest it has been for December in the past five years topping the December 2008 rate by two percentage points, according to the latest numbers released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

The 14.1 percent figure is also the highest for the five surrounding counties and is thirteenth highest in the state. The figures are based on the county of residence.

Mississippi’s unemployment rate for December 2009 was 10.3 percent, increasing 1.2 percentage points from the previous month’s rate of 9.1. When compared to the December 2008 rate of 7.7 percent, the rate increased 2.6 percentage points.

The Nation’s unemployment rate for December 2009 at 9.7 percent was up three-tenths of a percentage point over the month but was 2.6 percentage points higher than the year ago rate of 7.1.

Results from Mississippi’s nonfarm employment survey, which is counted by the location of establishments, reported a decrease of 1,300 in employment over the month and a decrease of 26,200 from one year ago.

For the month of December 2009, only twenty-three counties in Mississippi posted unemployment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of 10.3 percent.

Unemployment rates increased over the month in all eighty-two counties. Sixty-three counties reported double-digit rates for the month with nine counties reporting rates greater than 15.0 percent. Clay and Holmes Counties had the highest unemployment rate for December at 19.0 percent, according to the MDES.