Mississippi Jobless Numbers Fall

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi’s unemployment rate dropped slightly to 9 percent in June, as fewer people looked for work.

A separate survey showed employer payrolls continue to grow in the state.

The figures were released Thursday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Mississippi’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9.1 percent in May and 9.2 percent in June 2012. The state retained the third-highest jobless rate nationwide, behind Nevada and Illinois.

An 8,000-person decrease in the labor force was the main factor for the drop in Mississippi’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate.

The state had 117,500 unemployed people in June, down from 119,500 in May, and 123,000 in June 2012.

Mississippi’s nonfarm payrolls rose to about 1.13 million people in June, up by 5,000 from May, and nearly 28,000 from a year ago.