Combined with a slowly improving unemployment rate, the results suggest the Magnolia State could lose the labor market laggard status it’s struggled with even as the nation rebounded from the economic downturn.
Advertisement
Counties with the lowest unemployment rates last month were Shelby at 4.6, Elmore and Baldwin at 5.6, and Cullman and St. Clair at 5.7. “So we saw a slight job in the number of temporary workers and somewhat of a weaker showing in professional and business services”, according to Wallace.
Other industries that added jobs in July include manufacturing (up 400), financial activities (up 300), and other services (up 300).
In the Tampa Bay area, Pinellas County led the way with a 5.0 percent unemployment rate, up a tick from 4.9 percent. But seasonally adjusted construction job losses fed into the state’s overall 3,900-job drop for July. Most of the gains last month were in local government and state government jobs.
The 7.1 percent rate was well below the 8.1 percent rate from July 2014. The largest over the month declines were in education and health services, professional and business services, and construction. Despite the increase, the state says its jobless rate has been below the national average for one year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Labor Department have official data that shows a rate of 5.3%. “We also have drifters, grifters, welfare cheats, bums and people between jobs, enrolled in training programs, on sabbaticals and much else”. Resident employment dropped by 1,000 and unemployment rose by 2,000.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, which was unchanged from June. Indiana’s labor force growth of 76,000 since January 2013 continues to be a Midwest leader.
Minnesota’s rate remains well below the 5.3 percent rate nationally. The largest significant job gains occurred in California (+80,700), Texas (+31,400), and Florida (+30,500).
Advertisement
“Since the beginning of this year, Illinois has gained only a quarter of the job growth seen by the rest of the country”. “I don’t want to go through another recession where we lose 800,000 some jobs”.
