Jobless Rates Spike Amid Pandemic

It could be worse.

The dire labor force report for April issued Tuesday by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security included an unemployment rate of 13.2 percent for Alcorn County, up from 4.2 percent in March and 4.1 percent a year ago. All of the northeast corner counties fared worse, however, with rates going over 20 percent in Lee, Union, Itawamba and Pontotoc counties.

"Many of our largest employers have been on the essential business list, and that has been an advantage for us," said The Alliance President Clayton Stanley.

One that was not on the essential list – Corinthian Furniture – kept some of its people employed in the manufacture of personal protective equipment.

But for residents who are affected by loss of employment related to the pandemic, it is "a huge dilemma that we're quite concerned about," said Stanley.

Alcorn County saw 1,604 first-time claims for unemployment insurance in April, compared to 37 a year ago. Continued claims numbered 4,611, up from 181 a year ago. Claims began to spike in March, with 683 first-time claims and 409 continued claims.

Stanley said The Alliance tried to be as responsive and informative as possible during the shutdown but will have a big role to play in the economic restart.

"There was little we could do to prevent the layoffs, but we have great opportunity and responsibility to get people re-employed," he said.

Alcorn County had 1,960 categorized as unemployed for the month, compared to 670 in March and 660 in April 2019. The number counted as employed was 12,860, compared to 15,500 in March and in April 2019.

Among neighboring counties, Tishomingo County had a jobless rate of 15.8 percent; Prentiss County, 17.5 percent; and Tippah County, 19.5 percent. Alcorn County ranked 35th among the 82 counties; Tishomingo, 52nd; Prentiss, 65th; and Tippah, 68th. Mississippi's rate was 15.6 percent, rising from 4.8 percent in March, and the U.S. rate was 14.4 percent, rising from 4.5 percent in March in not seasonally adjusted numbers.

Rates across the state ranged from 7.6 percent in Smith County to 31.7 percent in Tunica County, which was hard hit by the casino industry shutdown during the state's sheltering order.

The state lost 113,400 non-farm jobs over the month and 119,800 over the year. The number of unemployed increased 125,500 over the month, while the number employed decreased 202,200 over the month.

State Economist Darrin Webb presented his economic outlook to the Mississippi Senate on Tuesday, forecasting a long recovery from what he expects to be a short recession. Webb expects conditions to begin to improve in the third quarter as the economy restarts, continuing into 2021-22. Full recovery could come by 2023, he said.

"The damage is very deep," Gov. Tate Reeves said in Tuesday's daily briefing. "We know that we have a long road ahead."