By David Howell

The jobless rate in Panola County eased down four-tenths of a percent in December according to the latest report from the Mississippi Department of Unemployment Security.

The county’s unemployment rate went down from 12.9 percent in November to 12.5 in December.

The decrease comes after 40 more people were employed in December (12,940) versus November (12,900), while the total labor force decreased by 30 from December to January.

The labor force is defined as the estimated number of people eligible for work or actively looking for work.

Mississippi’s unemployment rate for December 2010 was 9.7 percent, a decrease of one-tenth of a percentage point from the prior month’s rate of 9.8 percent.

The number of unemployed decreased 5,100 over the month, while the employed total increased 6,800 from the prior month.

For the month of December 2010, only 22 counties in Mississippi posted unemployment rates less than or equal to the state’s rate of 9.7 percent.

Rankin County posted the lowest unemployment rate for the month of December at 6.0 percent.