JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Employer payrolls hit a new all-time high in Mississippi in June, as the unemployment rate held steady.
The payroll survey - economists’ top labor market indicator - rose to 1.17 million in June. That’s slightly above the previous record set in March and is 18,000 jobs above June 2017. Payrolls have shown strong growth at times over the last nine months.
Mississippi’s unemployment rate was flat from May to June at 4.7 percent, as more people entered the labor force and more found jobs. The jobless rate in June 2017 was 5.2 percent.
The number of unemployed Mississippians rose by about 1,000 to almost 61,000.
June’s U.S. unemployment rate rose to 4 percent from May’s 3.8 percent.
The U.S. Labor Department released figures Friday, adjusted to cancel out seasonal changes.
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