Following suit with the rest of the state, Seminole County’s jobless rate was higher in February than it was one year ago.

According to a report released last week by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC), Seminole County posted an unemployment rate of 6.6 percent in February, up nearly two percentage points over February 2020 when the rate was 4.7 percent.

The report shows the county had an available labor force in February of 9,397 but only 8,778 of those available were counted as employed. Latimer County posted the state’s highest unemployment rate in February, coming in at 10.1 percent. McIntosh County had the second-highest jobless rate for the month, followed by Haskell and Le Flore Counties. Cimarron and Texas Counties shared the lowest county unemployment rate of 2.0 percent. Unemployment rates in February were higher than a year earlier in all 77 Oklahoma Counties.

In Hughes County, the rate increased from 5.1 percent in February 2020 to 7.0 percent, Pottawatomie County’s rate jumped from 3.4 percent to 5.3 percent and in Lincoln County, the rate climbed from 3.3 percent to 4.6 percent.

Despite the higher county-level numbers, the OESC reported last week that unemployment claims are on the decline, with the continued claims four-week moving average declining for the 41st consecutive week.

“This past week, we saw an increase in initial claims and the initial claims 4-week moving average. To address this, OESC is taking proactive measures and placing priority on helping Oklahomans get back to work,” said Shelley Zumwalt, OESC Executive Director. “In addition to the ongoing employment programs we provide, we are excited to announce that we will be hosting large career fairs in various locations across Oklahoma in May. We will provide more details as plans are finalized.”

The OESC also reports that the agency continues to make significant progress in adjudication resolutions, continuing to decrease the number of claims in adjudication.

“As an agency, we have worked hard to streamline the adjudication process, with less than 2,200 cases currently in adjudication, an improvement of 90% since December 2020,” said Zumwalt. “Our team’s dedication shows our commitment to continuous improvement at the agency.”

To report a new unemployment claim or follow up on an existing claim, visit oklahoma.gov/oesc.