By David Howell

    Panola County’s unemployment rate is still on the rise going from 13.3 percent in December to 15.4 in January.

Unemployment in the county is the highest it has been for January in the past five years, topping the January 2009 rate by 4.2 percentage points.

And, it is almost double the January 2008 rate, according to the latest numbers released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

The 13.3 percent figure is the 26th highest in the state. The figures are based on the county of residence.

Mississippi’s unemployment rate for January was 12 percent, increasing 1.7 percentage points from the previous month’s rate of 10.3. When compared to the January 2009 rate of 9.3 percent, the rate increased 2.7 percentage points.

The nation’s unemployment rate for January, at 10.6 percent, was up nine-tenths of a percentage point over the month but was 2.1 percentage points higher than the year ago rate of 8.5.

Results from Mississippi’s nonfarm employment survey, which is counted by the location of establishments, reported a decrease of 15,400 in employment over the month and a decrease of 31,000 from one year ago.

Industry sectors registering the largest monthly employment losses were trade, transportation and utilities; government; leisure and hospitality; educational and health services; and construction.

For the month of January 2010, only 22 counties in Mississippi posted unemployment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of 12.0 percent. Rankin County posted the lowest unemployment rate for the month of January at 8.0 percent followed by DeSoto County at 8.3 percent.

Seventy-four counties reported double-digit rates for the month with four counties reporting rates greater than 20.0 percent. Holmes and Noxubee Counties had the highest unemployment rate for January at 23.1 percent