JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
The national unemployment rate increased to 9.2 percent in June. That's the highest rate of 2011. So where are the best and worst places to find work this summer?
According to experts, the job search here in the Jackson metro area ranks somewhere in the middle compared to the rest of the country.
Christopher Bingham has been out of work for two years.
He has a business degree from Jackson State but still hasn't been able to put it to use.
His unemployment benefits have run out, and despite his persistence, he's only got 10 call backs.
Those strictly for interviews only.
"I think there are jobs but what I've been hearing from people that actually work in certain city positions is that they're just afraid to hire," Bingham said.
A group called Manpower recently surveyed 18 thousand companies across the country.
In Jackson they found there was a 17 percent projected increase in jobs, just below the nationwide average of 20 percent.
An encouraging number was the projected job decrease, just 2 percent, which is 8 percent nationally.
Christopher Bingham is among 13 million Americans out of work.
The manpower study found 20 percent of employers surveyed planned to add jobs this summer, many hoping they're in the Jackson metro.
Some of the best states to find jobs according to the study, Alaska, Maine, Nebraska, North Dakota and Indiana.
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