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HEALTH CARE JOBS BECOME CRITICAL TO MISSISSIPPI’S ECONOMY

July 9th, 2012

Mississippi’s overall job numbers have remained relatively stagnant over the last year. And while employment in the state hasn’t change substantially, the health care industry has become a key area of job growth for the state overall in a challenging decade for Mississippi’s economy. The figure below traces the change in jobs overall and health care jobs in comparison to 2001 levels. Jobs in health care have risen 26.9% since 2001 and grew throughout the recession. In contrast, Mississippi’s overall employment has declined 3.5% since 2001.¹

Healcare-Jobs-Growing-Sector-In-MS
Over the last decade, Mississippi’s health care industry has expanded and become an even larger employer of the state’s workforce. In 2001, 1 in 12 workers found employment in the health care field, and by 2011, the portion had increased to 1 in 9 workers (see figure). In mid-2012 the number of jobs in health and education services surpassed the number of jobs in the manufacturing sector in Mississippi.

Healthcare-Jobs-Huge-Part-of-State-Jobs-Overall

As the health care industry expands, the sector also offers a pathway to greater economic security for Mississippi’s working adults and their families. The average salary for health care practitioner and technical occupations registered at $59,000 per year in 2011 compared to $29,780 for manufacturing/production occupations and $22,350 for personal care and service occupations.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid Expansion offer the state’s leaders an opportunity to provide more Mississippians with affordable health care that raises their quality of life, their participation in the workforce and participation in their community. The expansion of care can also bring investment into a growing health care industry that pays quality wages and provides much needed economic development. In both these ways, the implementation of the ACA and Medicaid expansion are critical to the future economic security of Mississippi’s working families.


Author: Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst
¹Mississippi Department of Employment Security. Labor Market Information. Annual Averages.http://www.mdes.ms.gov/Home/LMI/LMIPublications/annualaverage.html.

 

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