Unemployment claims spike in Harrison and Jackson counties amid coronavirus
The number of people filing for unemployment in South Mississippi continues to soar as all but essential businesses are ordered closed.
In the Coast counties, 7,612 people filed for unemployment the week of March 28, according to the latest numbers released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.
Initial claims for the week ending March 28 are:
Harrison — 4,022
Jackson — 2,331
Hancock — 681
Pearl River — 311
George — 146
Stone — 121
Harrison County again had by far the highest number of new claims in the state, with 4,022 new claims the week ending March 28 compared to 970 initial claims in Harrison County for the prior week ending March 21.
While shipbuilding continues in Jackson County, 2,331 people in the county filed initial unemployment claims the week of March 28.
As with coronavirus cases, the unemployment numbers are reported where the person lives, not where they work.
On March 16, the state Gaming Commission ordered all the casinos in Mississippi to close, putting most of the 10,500 employees at Coast casinos and 16,400 statewide out of work.
Ten of the 12 Coast casinos are in Harrison County, which also has seen the closing of many hotels, restaurants and attractions. Two casinos are in Hancock County.
Employment was strong on the Coast, according to the February report from MDES. Harrison County had an unemployment rate of 4.9%, with 82,000 or the county’s workforce of 86,000 people working. Hancock County’s unemployment rate was 5.3% and Jackson County 5.6%, among the lowest in decades.
The unemployment rate started spiking once the first coronavirus case was identified in Mississippi on March 11. By March 28, there were 104 cases on coronavirus on the Coast and 663 in Mississippi.
Mississippi had 30,946 people file initial claims for unemployment the week of March 28, according to the U.S. Department Labor, an increase of 25,427 from the prior week.
More than 6.6 million people across the United States filed new unemployment claims last week, according to the Department of Labor.
MDES has a coronavirus webpage to help people file initial claims online and with links to frequently asked questions for employees and businesses.
Sun Herald reporter Margaret Baker contributed to this article.
