Mississippi’s Employment Situation
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April 20, 2018
Jackson, MS --- Unemployment Rate Remains at Historic Low and Number of Jobs Rises to Historic High. This is the latest information announced today by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.
Mississippi’s unemployment rate in March 2018 was 4.5%, tying the rate last month in February as the lowest level of unemployment ever recorded in Mississippi.
The March rate is eight-tenths of a percentage point lower than a year ago in March 2017, when the rate was 5.3%.
The number of non-farm jobs in Mississippi rose by 1,000 in March to 1,165,200, which are the most jobs ever recorded in Mississippi.
Over the year since March 2017, the number of jobs in our state increased by 14,400. These numbers are based on a survey of employers. That employer survey is recognized as the most reliable indicator of job growth.
The Labor Force, which is made up of everyone who has a job or is looking for a job, decreased in March by 500 to 1,273,700. Over the year since March 2017, the Labor Force fell by 8,900.
The number of people working in Mississippi fell slightly in March by 100 to 1,216,400; however, for the year since March 2017, employment in our state increased by 2,200.
The number of unemployed Mississippians fell by 400 in March to 57,300, which is the lowest number of Mississippians without jobs since July 1979.
Over the year since March 2017, the number of unemployed Mississippians 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.
