Bad, good news for GT’s jobless

Mississippi was one of 11 states in the country that had job growth of less than 1 percent for 2014, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The state ended the year with employment up by .02 percent from 2013. State economist Darrin Webb has forecast a 1.5 percent growth for 2015-16. If this year's projection is met, Webb says it would be the largest such growth in Mississippi since 1999. But challenges remain. Unemployment ticked up slightly throughout the Golden Triangle in December, reversing a 3-month trend in decreases, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. The good news is that the numbers should not be cause for alarm. December unemployment was up in every county in the state but one. MDSE claims the biggest factor in the uptick in jobless rates is because college students are out of class because the numbers are based on the workforce. Unemployment rates are lower now than a year ago. "That's probably a better indicator of where we are headed," an MDSE spokeswoman said. In Clay, Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties, unemployment rates compared to December 2013 are lower. In Noxubee County, the jobless rate was 0.4 percent higher in December 2014 than 12 months ago. (Source: Columbus Dispatch, 01/29/15) Cental Mississippi Note: A 5-year comparison of unemployment rates show Mississippi is making progress. Unemployment in December 2014 in Clay County is 6 percent lower than in December 2013. It was 5.3 percent lower in Noxubee County, 3.8 percent lower in Lowndes County and 3.5 percent lower in Oktibbeha County.