Brighter Futures Begin with HOPE.

While a previous post focuses on many different measures of Mississippi’s economic growth after the recession, today’s post takes a closer look at employment in particular. Mississippi has gained 8,900 jobs since the state’s employment level reached a low point in February 2010. Incremental increases in private sector employment are a positive sign for the state’s workforce and economy. However, over the last year, slow job growth in the private sector paired with net job loss in the public sector has not produced jobs at the pace needed to replace jobs lost in the recession. The state still has 66,400 fewer jobs than it did when the recession began in late 2007.

To regain pre-recession levels of employment, Mississippi’s economy also needs to add jobs to meet the state’s population growth. The state’s population has grown 1.9 percent over three and a half years. Combining jobs lost in the recession and the jobs needed to keep up with population growth means Mississippi would need to gain the 66,400 jobs lost in the recession and gain another 21,800 jobs to keep up with the growing population, a total of 88,200 jobs, according to the Economic Policy Institute.¹

The chart below illustrates Mississippi’s job deficit throughout the economic downturn.

Click to enlarge