Mississippi's Employment Situation
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January 24, 2017
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 December to 5.6%. This is the lowest level of unemployment since January 2004 when the rate was also 5.6%. The December 2016 rate is one-tenth of a percentage point lower than a month earlier in November 2016, when the rate was 5.7%, and 1.2 percentage points lower than a year ago in December 2015, when the rate was 6.8%.
The number of unemployed Mississippians also dropped again in December by 1,200 to 72,200. This is the lowest number of Mississippians without jobs since July 2001 when 70,300 were unemployed. The December 2016 figure is 15,100 lower than a year ago in December 2015.
The Labor Force, which is made up of everyone who has a job or is looking for a job, increased in December by 4,200 to 1,288,200. Over the year since December 2015, the Labor Force decreased by 900.
The number of people working in Mississippi rose in December by 5,400 to 1,216,000. For the year since December 2015, employment in our state posted an increase of 11,100.
The preliminary projections from a separate sampling of employers are that the number of non-farm jobs in December decreased by 7,200 to 1,133,600. Over the year since December 2015, non-farm jobs decreased by 11,100.
For details or questions on this information, please contact Mary Willoughby at (601) 321-6260 or by email at: mwilloughby@mdes.ms.gov
