Reports - Mississippi Renewal

THE GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION REPORT | 99Unemployment: The Katrina EffectFollowing is a comparison of South Mississippi’s employment levels by county for 2004 (annual averageemployment), August 2005 (last full month before Katrina) and October 2005 (most recentmonth reported by MDES):County 2004 Annual Average August 2005 October 2005Forrest 33,900 33,780 32,020George 7,820 7,650 6,630Hancock 19,630 19,500 14,230Harrison 87,620 87,030 81,840Jackson 57,640 59,780 48,870Pearl River 20,810 20,860 18,990Stone 6,530 6,480 4,730Mississippi 1,248,100 1,253,500 1,175,800Source: MDESMeanwhile, according to the October 2005 employment date released by the MDES, unemploymentis at record levels across South Mississippi:Hancock Co. 24.3% George Co. 9.7% Forrest Co. 7.3%Harrison Co. 24.0% Pearl River Co. 16.5% Mississippi 9.6%Jackson Co. 17.4% Stone Co. 12.2% U.S. 4.6%Source: MDESSOURCES:Small Business Profile: Mississippi 2002 Report from the U.S. Small Business Administration.Employer Firms, Establishments, Employment, Payroll, Annual Receipts by Firm Size and State, 2002 U.S. Dept. of Commerce.Mississippi Development Authority.Mississippi Department of Employment Security.