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INTRODUCING THE STATE OF WORKING MISSISSIPPI 2012

January 25th, 2012
Many communities across Mississippi continued to experience persistently high unemployment and underemployment, stagnant wages and economic insecurity. However, the state’s workforce remains resilient and continues to be one of the state’s greatest assets. Understanding how workers, industries and families have been affected over the last decade can lay a foundation for building up the workforce in the years ahead.
MEPC’s latest report, State of Working Mississippi 2012 is a comprehensive piece that looks at key aspects of the economy affecting Mississippi’s workforce from 2000 to the present. Specifically the report:
  • Inspects changes in critical areas of Mississippi’s economy since 2000 including: jobs, the workforce, wages, income, and state revenue.
  • Compares information in these areas with trends nationally and among Mid South states.
  • Examines each of these areas through the lens of race, gender and educational attainment.
  • Summarizes key takeaways and makes recommendations in each chapter for advancing working Mississippians and their families.
SELECT FINDINGS FROM STATE OF WORKING MISSISSIPPI 2012
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TWO RECESSIONS RESULT IN JOB LOSS OVER THE DECADE
In Mississippi, employment peaked in February 2008 and then steeply declined until February 2010. In total, Mississippi lost 76,800 jobs over the two-year period. Mississippi’s job losses in the 2000s appear particularly harsh when compared to the prosperity of the 1990s. Mississippi’s employment grew by almost 25% during the 1990s, in contrast to a 5.5% decline in the 2000s. The Southern region and the United States experienced similar job growth during the 1990s; however, neither the South nor the nation experienced the same level of overall decline in employment in the 2000s.
MISSISSIPPI WORKERS EXPERIENCE LITTLE CHANGE IN WAGES
Many members of the state’s workforce have not seen an improvement in their wages since 2000, as companies were hit hard by two economic downturns, and state and local budgets tightened. The inflation-adjusted median wage in Mississippi grew marginally from 2000 to 2010, from $13.13 to $13.45. The gap between men’s and women’s wages narrowed over the decade, while the wage gap between white and African American workers persisted from 2000 to 2010.
WORKFORCE ADVANCES IN EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Mississippi’s workforce advanced in educational attainment over the decade, but needs to raise skill levels further to reach national norms. In 2000, 20.8% of the workforce received a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 22.8% in 2010. Overall 57.1% of the state’s workforce has taken at least some college classes. However, over 350,000 working-age adults still lack a high school degree, and the share of workers without high school equivalency is larger in Mississippi than in the U.S.

Over the next several days we will take a closer look at the key findings and recommendations from each chapter of the report.
 
Author: Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst

 

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