MS Unemployment Holding Steady

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi’s unemployment rate held at 8.5 percent in October, according to figures released Friday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The jobless rate in August and September also was 8.5 percent. The unemployment rate was 9.1 percent in October 2012.

The labor force declined by more than 7,000 people between September and October. Mississippi’s labor force has fallen every month in 2013.

Mississippi had 109,000 unemployed people in October, down 1,000 from September and also down from 121,000 in October 2012.

Nevada retained the nation’s worst jobless rate at 9.3 percent, while North Dakota was again lowest at 2.7 percent.

The national unemployment rate was little changed from September at 7.3 percent and was 0.6 percentage point lower than in October 2012.