Unemployment drops in Kemper

By Steve Swogetinsky

Kemper Messenger



Kemper County’s unemployment rate fell by 1.7 percent during the month of December 2019, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Securities.

Workforce numbers show 50 more people in the Kemper County were employed as compared to the previous month.

Kemper County’s unemployment rate for December 2019 stood at 7.3 percent, down from 9.0 percent in November. Unemployment stood at 7.1 percent in December 2018.

According to the department’s publication, Kemper County workforce pool (people 16-year-old and over) stood at 3,390 in December, the same as last month. Of that number, 250 were unemployed, down by 50 the previous month.

Unemployment in the United States stands at 3.4 percent.

Unemployment numbers also dropped in most area counties.

Mississippi’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2019 at 5.3 percent decreased two-tenths of a percentage point. When compared to the December 2018 rate of 4.7 percent, the rate increased six-tenths of a percentage point.

The number of unemployed decreased 2,900 over the month, while the employed total decreased 100 from the prior month. The Nation’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2019 at 3.4 percent increased one-tenth of a percentage point over the month, but was three-tenths of a percentage point lower than the year ago rate of 3.7 percent.

Mississippi’s not seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment decreased 6,800 over the month.

Industry sectors registering the largest monthly employment losses were Government, Professional & Business Services, and Leisure & Hospitality.

For the month of December 2019, 30 counties in Mississippi posted unemployment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of 5.3 percent. Lafayette and Rankin Counties posted the lowest unemployment rate for the month of December at 3.7 percent followed by Lamar County at 3.8 percent. Jefferson County had the highest unemployment rate for December at 16.9 percent followed by Humphreys County at 11.1 percent