By Rita Howell
Unemployment in Panola County remained in double digits, at 10.3 percent for February, the same as for January, according to the latest figures released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

The most recent MDES report shows a labor force of 14,390 with 12,900 employed, leaving 1,490 people unemployed. The numbers are exactly the same as the January report.
The state’s unemployment rate for February was 8 percent, an increase over the January rate of 7.5 percent.

The nation’s unemployment rate for February was 7 percent.

 The labor force is defined by MDES as the estimated number of people  eligible for work or actively looking for work. But, those figures  don’t include people who have given up looking for work and are no  longer participating in the labor force.

In comparison to the five surrounding counties, the Panola unemployment rate was higher than Yalobusha (9.4), Lafayette (5.7) and Tate (8.6), but lower than Tallahatchie  (11.7), Quitman (13.9) and Tunica (17.3).

 For the month of February 2014, 27 counties in Mississippi  posted unemployment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of  8.0 percent. Rankin County posted the lowest unemployment rate for  the month of February at 4.8 percent followed by Scott County at 5.5  percent. Tunica County had the highest unemployment rate for February  at 17.3 percent followed by Clay County at 16.7 percent.