Kemper’s unemployment rate shows slight increase

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Kemper County’s May 2021 unemployment rate of 8.1 percent stayed about the same when compared to the previous month.

Unemployment in Kemper County edged up 3/10s of a percent when compared to the April 2021 rate, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

That’s much better than this time last year in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Kemper County’s unemployment rate stood at 11.8 percent. Businesses and industries were forced to halt operations and send their employees home to avoid infection. At that time, Mississippi’s unemployment rate stood at 11.8 percent while the nation’s climbed to 13.0

Kemper County’s labor force in May 2021 stood at 3,500 people, an increase of 60 when compared to the previous month. Of that, 290 people were out of work.

Here is a look at the unemployment rates in neighboring counties.

May21 Apr. 21 May20

Neshoba 5.9 6.0 14.6

Leake 6.0 5.7  11.2

Lauderdale 5.9 5.8 10.0

Newton 6.1 5.8  11.3

Scott    4.8  4.9    8.0

Noxubee 8.8  8.9 13.4

Winston  7.0  6.8   11.8

Attala 6.5   6.5  9.8

Mississippi’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2021 was 6.1 percent, increasing two-tenths of a percentage point from the previous month’s rate of 5.9 percent. When compared to May 2020, the rate decreased 5.4 percentage points over the year.

The number of unemployed increased 2,200 over the month, while the employed total increased 1,400. The Nation’s unemployment rate for May 2021 of 5.5 percent decreased two-tenths of a percentage points over the month and was 7.5 percentage points lower than the year ago rate of 13.0 percent.

Mississippi’s nonfarm employment had an increase of 3,300 jobs over the month and had 76,700 more jobs than one year ago. Industry sectors registering the largest monthly employment gains were Leisure & Hospitality; Trade, Transportation and Utilities; and Manufacturing. For the month of May 2021, 34 counties in Mississippi posted unemployment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of 6.1 percent.

Rankin County posted the lowest unemployment rate for the month of May at 3.8 percent followed by Union County at 4.3 percent. Jefferson County had the highest unemployment rate for May at 18.1 percent followed by Wilkinson County at 13.7 percent.






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