Local jobless numbers dipped for the second consecutive month in August continuing Tate County’s downward trend in unemployment.
Estimates from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) show Tate’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.6% in August. It marks the first time since May local jobless numbers have been below four percent. Tate County’s unemployment rate was 4.3% in July, 4.6% in June and 3.7% in May.
Tate County ranks 21st in the state in unemployment and the rate of 3.6% includes 12,110 of the eligible 12,650 residents, at least 16 years of age, actively searching for employment in August but were unable to secure a job. The county’s rate of 3.6% is slightly lower than the statewide non-adjusted average of 3.8%.
The Local Area Unemployment Statistics program generates monthly estimates of the state’s labor force. Statistics are a cooperative effort between the Bureau of Labor Statistics and State Employment Security agencies.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines an individual employed if they did any work at all for pay or profit during the survey week; this includes all part-time and temporary work as well as full-time year-round employment.
The statewide Civilian Labor Force, which consists of everyone who has a job or is looking for a job, decreased 2,400 in August to 1,265,800. The number of unemployed Mississippians fell in August by 800 to 45,300. The number of people unemployed in the state is at its lowest since 1976, according to MDES.
The number of jobs in Mississippi at 1,151,500 decreased 8,300 from July to August, according to the seasonally adjusted results from a survey of Mississippi employers. Since August 2021, the number of jobs has increased by 11,800. Industry sectors registering the largest monthly employment losses in August were Government; Professional & Business Services; and Construction.
Seasonally adjusted data removes the effects of events that follow regular pattern each year such as the influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools, and other recurring seasonal events. These adjustments make it easier to observe the cyclical and other non-seasonal movements in a data series. Amounts are seasonally adjusted at the national and state levels only.
In the month of August, 34 counties in Mississippi posted unemployment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of 3.8 percent. Rankin and Union counties posted the lowest jobless numbers at 2.7 percent followed by Lamar County at 2.8 percent. Jefferson County had the highest unemployment rate at 14.3 percent followed by Claiborne County at 9.0 percent.
If you are searching for employment, visit the Tate County WIN Job Center on the Northwest Mississippi Community College campus in Senatobia or call (662) 562-3351 for more information.
