The unemployment rate in Miss. is declining, data show

by

Ashley Norwood

• Published on June 24, 2020 • Last modified on June 23, 2020 • Comments

The unemployment rate in Mississippi dropped from 16.3% in April to 10.6% in May 2020. That’s a 5.7% decrease according to new numbers released by the Department of Employment Security.

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Over the month of May, some 78,000 people in Mississippi became employed. Scott Waller, president of the Mississippi Economic Council, attributes the dip in unemployment to businesses that were closed or had furloughed employees over concerns of the coronavirus now getting back to work.

“As businesses are coming back online, they’re reaching out to employees to come back to work,” said Waller.

Fifty-four of the state’s 82 counties are reporting unemployment rates less than that of the state’s overall rate.

A breakdown of unemployment rates per county. The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 10.6%. The state's unadjusted rate is 10.5%.
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Smith County reported the lowest unemployment rate for the month of May at 5.4 percent followed by Choctaw County at 6.5 percent.

“This speaks to our businesses wanting to get back to work. I am happy to hear about the decline in Mississippi’s unemployment rate,” said Waller.

But not all communities are getting back to work as quickly. Tunica County had the highest unemployment rate for May at 23.5 percent followed by Holmes County at 21.3.

Waller says seeing people get back to work is a positive sign for the economy. But, he says, in order to see the economy and employment rate continue to climb, businesses must make sure they’re taking as many precautions as possible to provide a safe environment. At one point, almost 200,000 Mississippians were unemployed during the pandemic.