Kemper unemployment rate drops to 5.7%

Kemper County’s Octo­ber unemployment rate stood a 5.7 percent, a nine-tenths of a percent drop when compared to the pre­vious month, according to figures from the Mississippi Department of Employ­ment Security figures.

When compared to the unemployment rate of 7.9 percent a year ago, during the waning months of the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment has dropped 2.2 percent in the county.

There were 190 unem­ployed people during Oc­tober, which was 30 less than last month. Kemper County’s labor force in Oc­tober stood at 3,260 peo­ple, a decrease of 40 people when compared to the September’s total.

Mississippi’s not season­ally adjusted unemploy­ment rate for October 2021 was 3.9 percent, decreasing eight-tenths of a percent­age point from the previous month’s rate of 4.7 percent. When compared to the Oc­tober 2020 rate of 6.2 per­cent, the rate decreased 2.3 percentage points.

The number of unem­ployed decreased 9,800 over the month, while the employed total increased 3,300 from the prior month. The Nation’s unemploy­ment rate for October 2021 at 4.3 percent decreased three-tenths of a percent­age point over the month and 2.3 percentage points over the year.

Mississippi’s nonfarm em­ployment increased 15,900 over the month and 27,200 over the year. Industry sec­tors registering the largest monthly employment gains were trade, transportation and utilities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and educational and health services.

For the month of October 2021, 27 counties in Missis­sippi posted unemploy­ment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of 3.9 percent. Rankin County posted the lowest unem­ployment rate for the month of October at 2.7 percent followed by Lafayette County at 2.8 per­cent. Jefferson County had the highest unemployment rate for October at 12.2 percent followed by Humphreys County at 8.8 percent.