Mississippi's Employment Situation
Share Page
December 16, 2016
Jackson, MS -- Unemployment Rate Falls Again – Lowest Unemployment in More Than 12 Years. This is the latest information announced today by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.
Mississippi’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell again in November to 5.7%. This is the lowest level of unemployment since February 2004 when the rate was also 5.7%. The November 2016 rate is two-tenths of a percentage point lower than a month earlier in October 2016, when the rate was 5.9%, and nine-tenths of a percentage point lower than a year ago in November 2015, when the rate was 6.6%.
The number of unemployed Mississippians also dropped in November by 1,600 to 73,400. This is the lowest number of Mississippians without jobs since January 2004 when 73,100 were unemployed. The November 2016 figure is 11,900 lower than a year ago in November 2015.
The Labor Force, which is made up of everyone who has a job or is looking for a job, increased in November by 5,400 to 1,283,900. Over the year since November 2015, the Labor Force decreased by 1,800.
The number of people working in Mississippi rose in November by 7,000 to 1,210,500. For the year since November 2015, employment in our state posted an increase of 10,100.
A separate survey of employers indicted that the number of non-farm jobs in November decreased by 900 to 1,139,700. Over the year since November 2015, non-farm jobs decreased by 2,400.
For details or questions on this information, please contact Mary Willoughby at (601) 321-6260 or by email at: mwilloughby@mdes.ms.gov.
