Unemployment figures from March show that Pearl River County’s unemployment rate has increased by .1 percent compared to February while the state average remained the same.

Unadjusted figures reflect that the unemployment rate for March in Mississippi was 5.9 percent. Pearl River County’s unemployment figure was 6 percent, according to a press release from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

The national unemployment rate is reported to be at 5.2 percent.

Pearl River County has shown a slight increase in the unemployment rate from the previous month’s figures. In the month of February Pearl River County reflected a 5.9 percent unemployment rate.

A year ago the unemployment rate for March was higher, at 6.1 percent in Pearl River County.

The county with the highest unemployment rate in March was Jefferson with 11.9 percent and the county with the lowest rate was Rankin with 3.9 percent.

“As weather conditions warm up and storm damaged areas persist in rebuilding, planting will begin in the fields and business will reopen and hire. This should cause employment rates to increase and the unemployment rate to decrease for the month of April,” Chief of Labor Market Information Wayne Gasson said.