JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - One key marker says Mississippi’s recession is finally over, even as the state’s unemployment rate fell to a new all-time low.
Mississippi’s employer payroll survey, economists’ top labor market indicator, reached 1.16 million in December. That surpasses the previous high last tied in February 2008, on the cusp of the recession. It’s an 18,000-job gain over December 2017.
The jobless rate fell to 4.6 percent, a new low since current surveys began in 1976, from 4.8 percent in November. That’s down from December 2017’s 5.5 percent. More people entered the labor force in December and more reported having jobs. Unemployed Mississippians fell almost 3,000 to 58,000.
December’s U.S. unemployment rate was level from November at 4.1 percent.
The U.S. Labor Department released figures Tuesday, adjusted to cancel out seasonal changes.
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