By Rita Howell
Panola County mirrored the rest of the state with a jump in its unemployment rate for December. After posting a 7.9 percent jobless rate in November, Panola reported a rate of 9.5 in December, according to the latest figures from the Mississippi Department of Employment Securities.
The state’s unemployed population rose from 5.8 percent in November to 7.2 in December, while the national rate stayed the same, 4.8.
The MDES reports that Panola had a workforce of 14,050 in December, with 12,710 employed and 1,340 listed as jobless.
A year ago, Panola’s jobless rate was 10.5 percent. Five years ago, in December, 2010, Panola’s rate was 13.3.
Panola currently ranks 63rd of Mississippi’s 82 counties, with Rankin County posting the state’s best rate, 4.7 and Issaquena recording the worst, 18.6 percent.
In comparison with the six surrounding counties, Panola’s December unemployment rate of 9.5 was higher than Tate (7.7), Lafayette (5.8), Yalobusha (7.5), Tallahatchie (8.9) and lower than Quitman (12.6) and Tunica (10.4).