Jackson Free Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi's unemployment jumped to 9.3 percent in January, wiping out almost a year's worth of job gains.

The last time the state's jobless rate was higher was in February 2012.

Mississippi's unemployment rate was 8.6 percent in December and 10 percent in January 2012.

The number of people who reported having a job fell even as the state's labor force shrank. Mississippi reported 141,000 unemployed people in December, up from 123,000 in December and 135,000 in January 2012.

The Mississippi Department of Employment Security reported figures Wednesday.

The state's job market grew in the fall after hitting a rough patch in the middle of 2012. Overall performance has been feeble, with 4 percent fewer people with jobs than in January 2008.

"The economy is obviously still very weak. That's not a big surprise," said state economist Darren Webb. "We've been pretty well flat to declining since the recovery began."

The national unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent in January from 7.8 percent in December. It remained below the 8.3 percent level of January 2012.

The broadest measure of those who are unemployed averaged 15.1 percent in Mississippi during 2012, the most recent figures available. That number includes people who are looking for work only sporadically, have given up looking or are working part time because they can't find a full-time job.

Nationwide, that broad measure averaged 14.7 percent during the same time.

The unemployment rate is calculated by a survey that asks how many people are looking for a job. A second survey each month asks employers how many people are on their payrolls, a measure many economists use as their top labor market indicator.

Not adjusted for normal seasonal changes, that survey found total Mississippi payrolls fell to 1.1 million in January, down 12,000 jobs from December. Payrolls normally fall in January as retailers lay off extra workers they hired for the Christmas season. The state remained 17,600 jobs above January 2012 levels.

Professional and business services was the only sector where Mississippi payrolls increased from December to January.

Rankin County's 6.6 percent remained the lowest jobless rate. Tunica County moved into the highest unemployment rate at 20.9 percent. Of the state's 82 counties, 60 had jobless rates above the state average.

County-level rates aren't adjusted to cancel out predictable seasonal changes. But many counties posted higher unemployment rates than in January 2012, another sign of weakness.