DeSoto County unemployment numbers continue low trend

Recent figures on the state’s historic lows for unemployment are also being indicated in DeSoto County numbers as released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.  

In April of this year, the last month for which  figures are available, Mississippi’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate fell to its lowest figure ever; 2.8 percent unemployed. That compares to three percent in March of this year and 3.1 percent jobless in April of last year.  

At the same time, the 1.7 percent unemployment rate for DeSoto County is just 0.5 percent more than the state’s lowest figure by county: 1.2 percent in Union County in April. The highest unemployment rate by county in the state during April was reported at 7.2 percent in Jefferson County.  

The DeSoto County labor force in April totaled 90,870, of which 89,340 had a job and 1,540 were looking for a job.  In March of this year, DeSoto County’s unemployment rate was set at 2.4 percent and in April of last year, 2.3 percent of the county’s workforce was looking for work. 

It should be noted that in April 2020, as the COVID-18 pandemic was just beginning, 10.2 percent of the county workforce was without work.  

In Mississippi, there were just under 1.19 million jobs, which was the second-highest number ever, and an increase of 10,300 jobs since April 2023.  

There were 600 fewer non-farm jobs in the Magnolia State in April than in March and the Leisure-Hospitality sector registered the largest monthly loss of any particular career sector in Mississippi. 

The complete report on the state’s labor market data is found on the Mississippi Department of Employment Security website.