Panola jobless rate up

By Rita Howell
Panola County’s January unemployment rate of 7.7 percent was an increase of .8 percent over the December figure, 6.9, according to the latest release by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. The state’s jobless rate increased, too, from 5.7 percent in December to 6.1 percent in January. The U.S. rate for January was 5.1 percent, an increase over the December rate of 4.5.
Panola is ranked 53rd out of the 82 counties, with Rankin continuing to hold the top spot, 4 percent unemployment, and Issaquena County at the bottom of the list, with 21.2 percent unemployment.
In comparison with the surrounding counties, Panola’s January rate was higher than Tate (5.8), Lafayette (5.1) and Yalobusha (6.7) and lower than Quitman (11.5) and Tunica (8.3). Tallahatchie reported the same rate as Panola, 7.7 percent.
MDES reports that in January Panola had a work force of 13,230, with 12,290 employed, and 1,030 unemployed.