According to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, the state’s unemployment rate rose slightly in February.
While still hovering around a historic low, the state’s unemployment rate rose from 4.7% to 4.8% from January to February. This comes after the labor force, which is made up of everyone who has a job or is looking for a job, declined by 3,300. Since February 2018, Mississippi’s labor force has declined by 6,400.
The number of unemployed Mississippians in February was 60,600, which was 400 more than January; however, since February 2018, the overall number of unemployed Mississippians is down by 1,500.
In February, the number of non-farm jobs in Mississippi did increase by 600 to 1,161,900, which is the second highest number of jobs ever recorded in Mississippi. In all, the number of jobs in Mississippi has increased by 12,100 since February 2018.
The current rate of 4.8% is lower than the unemployment rate at this time last year, and the unemployment rate has now been at 4.8% or lower for eleven months in a row.
