Mississippi’s Employment Situation
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May 20, 2016
Jackson, MS -- Unemployment Rate Falls To The Lowest Level In More Than Eight Years. This is the latest information announced today by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.
Mississippi’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell again in April to 6.0 percent. The April rate is the lowest level of unemployment in Mississippi since January 2008, when the unemployment rate was also 6.0 percent. The April 2016 rate is three-tenths of a percentage point lower than the March rate of 6.3 percent and half of a percentage point lower than a year ago in April 2015 when the rate was 6.5 percent.
Along with the drop in the unemployment rate, the number of unemployed Mississippians declined again in April by 3,600 to 78,000.
For the first time in 23 months, the number of people working in Mississippi declined slightly in April by 2,700 to 1,218,800; however, for the year since April 2015, employment in our state posted a healthy increase of 37,900.
The Labor Force, which is made up of everyone who has a job or is looking for a job, fell in April by 6,300 to 1,296,800; however, over the year since April 2015, the Labor Force increased by 33,900 as more Mississippians got jobs or started seeking employment.
A separate survey of Mississippi employers indicated that the number of jobs declined in April by 2,600 to 1,144,500; however, in the year since April 2015, the number of jobs increased by 15,400.
For details or questions on this information, please contact Mary Willoughby at (601) 321-6260 or by email at: mwilloughby@mdes.ms.gov.
