Jobless numbers up, but area still in good shape

Published 5:00 am Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Lincoln County’s unemployment figures rose a bit in May, but thecounty still managed to climb a spot in state rankings, accordingto figures released recently by the Mississippi Department ofEmployment Security.

The county’s May figures posted an unemployment rate of 6.7percent, slightly higher than April’s 6.3 percent total. However,Lincoln County’s increase was not as pronounced as in other areasof the state and the county rose from a ranking of 22nd to 21stamong the state’s 82 counties.

Employment official attributed the increase to people being outfor the summer break.

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“That would account for the increase,” said David Holland,director of the Brookhaven branch office of the MDES. “Ithighlights the seasonal trend we’re all affected by.”

Some school workers not contracted for the year usually enterthe workforce around May, Holland said. In Brookhaven, nearly 70employees of a federal school program sought summer jobs in May,and Holland predicted there were likely others.

“Students will usually increase the rate as well at this time ofyear,” he said.

Lincoln County’s 2006 rate is much lower than a year ago when itwas 8.4 percent. Holland said the 1.7 percent decrease reflectedthat 300 more people had jobs this year in May than in 2005.

“We’re getting a lot of job orders and right now we’re havinggood success with matching people with the right skills to thesejobs,” he said.

Walthall County posted the best numbers in Southwest Mississippiwith a 6.6 percent unemployment rate. That number was unchangedfrom April’s figures.

Pike County showed considerable improvement and passed Copiahand Amite counties in the rankings with a .3 percent decrease from7.1 percent to 6.8 percent, only .1 percent behind Lincoln Countynumbers.

Copiah and Amite counties, however, saw higher unemploymentnumbers in May than April. Copiah County climbed from a 6.7 percentrate to 7.0 and a 30th place ranking while Amite County’s number ofunemployed increased from 6.8 percent in April to 7.1 percent inMay, earning it a spot at 31 on the list.

All five counties posted numbers better than the state averageof 7.4 percent, however.

Franklin County posted the highest percentage of unemployed inSouthwest Mississippi with a rate of 8 percent, ranking it 45th.Lawrence County, which also exceeded the state average, posted a7.7 percent rate and a ranking of 41st.

The state’s 7.4 percent rate is a percentage point better thanfigures in 2005, Holland said.

“This is the first time this year that the state’s numbers havebeen below last year,” he said.