By David Howell

 Panola County’s unemployment rate is on the rise again going from 12.1 percent in November to 13.3 in December.

This mark places unemployment in the county the highest it has been for December in the past five years, topping the December 2008 rate by four percentage points, according to the latest numbers released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

The 13.3 percent figure is also the 20th highest in the state. The figures are based on the county of residence.

Statewide the unemployment rate for December 2009 was 10.3 percent, increasing 1.2 percentage points from the previous month’s rate of 9.1. When compared to the December 2008 rate of 7.7 percent, the rate increased 2.6 percentage points.

The Nation’s unemployment rate for December 2009 at 9.7 percent was up three-tenths of a percentage point over the month but was 2.6 percentage points higher than the year ago rate of 7.1.

Results from Mississippi’s nonfarm employment survey, which is counted by the location of establishments, reported a decrease of 1,300 in employment over the month and a decrease of 26,200 from one year ago.

For the month of December 2009, only twenty-three counties in Mississippi posted unemployment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of 10.3 percent.

Unemployment rates increased over the month in all eighty-two counties. Sixty-three counties reported double-digit rates for the month with nine counties reporting rates greater than 15.0 percent.