Warren County’s unemployment rate was level in September, while the job picture statewide fell again on the heels of tighter regulations for those receiving benefits.
Joblessness was 8 percent for the month, same as August, according to figures released Wednesday by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. More people were counted in the county’s labor force —19,520 workers were counted in it for the month. A revised figure showed 19,490 for August. The number of persons counted unemployed was 1,560, same as revised figures for August.
Statewide, unemployment stood at 7.3 percent, down a tenth of a point. The biggest areas of job gains were in the government, educational/health services and professional/business services sectors.  Seasonally adjusted, the state’s rate was 7.7 percent. The Labor Department reported Mississippi employers added 6,000 jobs during the month, but the rate remained second-highest in the nation, behind Georgia’s 7.9 percent. The national rate was 5.9 percent in September, down from 6.1 percent in August.
Figures came in advance of requirements to start today for those receiving benefits to supply weekly records of their job search to qualify for benefits.