Sunday, May 19, 2024

State Unemployment Drops to Record 2.8%

 Governor Tate Reeves issued the following statement. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that Mississippi’s unemployment rate reached a new record low of 2.8% in April 2024.

“If you want to work, there’s a job for you in Mississippi,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “We have record-shattering private sector investment and thousands of new high-paying jobs coming to our state, which is helping to drive down unemployment to record lows. I’m incredibly proud of all the hardworking Mississippians across the state for making this possible. This is another major win for Mississippi.”

Mississippi’s new all-time low unemployment rate is another major win for the state. Mississippi was recognized as one of the top five states for high-quality pre-K. Mississippi’s high school graduation rate is currently at an all-time high and better than the national average, and the state led the nation in fourth grade reading and math gains.

Just one month into 2024, Mississippi set a record for new private sector investment in a year when it finalized approximately $12 billion in new economic development projects. This includes the largest economic development project in Mississippi’s history, a $10 billion private sector investment by Amazon Web Services that will create 1,000 jobs.

Kingfish note: Unfortunately, the state's labor participation rate remains at a record low.  The Federal Reserve (St. Louis) reports it was only 53.9% in April although it has risen one-half percent since January.  





32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why would anyone want to work? Work is exploitative. Parasitic landlords don’t deserve passive income from the fruits of my labor. Nope, I decided long ago there is no point in earning a dime so some boss can earn a dollar. Besides, the boomers exported the good jobs to pad their retirement funds. Now they are importing cheap foreign labor the jobs that can’t be exported.

Sol Juette said...

Figures don't lie, but liars will figure..

Anonymous said...

He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... For support rather
than illumination."
- Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

Anonymous said...

Governors making press releases like this think they are bragging. In reality they are telling every single company or manufacturer that might be looking to come to Mississippi that they should look elsewhere. There are no people here to fill the jobs you need filled.

Anonymous said...

Tater is running for CHS senate seat next election cycle.

Anonymous said...

Too many people lying on the couch all day getting their news from ABC’s The View. Not just in Mississippi, but all over the country. Cut off their government benefits, and they would have to go to work to eat. But then the Democrats wouldn’t have their government slaves anymore.

Anonymous said...

As usual the messenger shooters crawl out from their holes to display their hate for Reeves.

Krusatyr said...

Employment/Unemployment Rate is meaningless without context of those seeking work and those not.

I quit giving it any respect about 25 years ago.
Uncle Sugar pays bums to be a sidelined loaf, wasting the gift of life to suckle thin gray milk off the government teat.


Anonymous said...

KF spot on with the participation rate comment….plus data centers don’t employ lots of people and they are low paying jobs. Legalization of marijuana and AI perfect…. Perfect timing.

Anonymous said...

4:00 makes an excellent observation. And most of the cities west of I-55, and especially Jackson, do not have viable metrics for sustainable economies (income, education, health care services, job opportunities, business climate, etc.

Anonymous said...

I guess it will be hard to blame a "bad" economy on Biden now.

Anonymous said...

May 19, 2024 at 3:41 PM
You should look up what the CHIPS act does. The next couple decades are going to be reshoring. But this attitude is exactly why Mississippi will remain last so long as a sizeable minority keeps this stupid idea alive. Look I'm not a Biden fan by any means but the CHIPs act is what the US has needed after 40 years of off shoring jobs.

Anonymous said...

Labor force participation rate in MS has also been declining, which helps the reported unemployment rate %.

Anonymous said...

I absolutely do not believe this!!!

Anonymous said...

I went to jr college and finished about 3 years ago. I have not had a job since I finished, but the govt is paying me every month.

Anonymous said...

"And most of the cities west of I-55, and especially Jackson, do not have viable metrics for sustainable economies (income, education, health care services, job opportunities, business climate, etc. "

I live in Annandale (Madison) and I'm pretty sure we are west of I-55. It seems pretty nice here.

Anonymous said...

"I guess it will be hard to blame a "bad" economy on Biden now."

Someone else is in charge and to blame? Please enlighten us, O wise one......

Anonymous said...

Tate is acting as if that’s a good thing. Nobody is looking for work. And that’s a good thing?

Anonymous said...

The labor force participation rate is utterly meaningless, but talking heads and others have grabbed-hold of that statistic as if it defines the state in comparison to other states.

There is no way in hell to arrive at the numbers since the data is made up from a small telephone sampling. And if the numbers WERE accurate, they still have no meaning.

Anonymous said...

3:41pm Please go back to Columbia and talk about your love of Hamas. I bet you wear those rounded glasses and tell people what your pronouns are. This country rewards those who take risk and innovate. If that ain't your bag, welcome to the 9 to 5.

7:31pm I came here to say this. Low unemployment means nothing in a state with a Nation leading labor non-participation rate. The real challenge is to address this ugly data point instead of trying to trick us with lies, damn lies, and statistics. Ri the bandaid off. Cut on the lights and watch the roaches scatter!

8:23pm You do know you are part of the 2.8%, right?

Anonymous said...

3:41 PM, we see you gobblied up the “everything that’s wrong in America is the boomer generation’s fault” propaganda and received your indoctrination diploma. Congrats on taking the bait.

While many if not most boomers do deserve blame for raising a bunch of gullible wimps that are more than willing to believe any crock of HS the propaganda puppeteers run up their flag poles, LBJ, as just one example, was born many decades too early to be called a boomer.

As another example, the DEI Prez would have lost Indiana and North Carolina in 2008 if not for the under the age of 30 voters, and who knows which other states if not for the many younger “enthusiastic campaign volunteers” (it was “so cool!”).

But, 3:41 PM, you and the others looking for some “phantom someone” to blame should keep on taking that bait. The propaganda puppeteers really appreciate you!

Anonymous said...

Three statisticians go deer hunting with bows. They see a giant buck in the woods. Statistician #1 fires his arrow--it goes 10 yards to the left. Statistician #2 fires his arrow--it goes 10 yards to the right. Statistician #3 throws down his bow and yells, "We got it!"

Anonymous said...

Tater has a degree in economics. Bwa ha ha.

Anonymous said...

8:00 AM- From Millsaps too!

Anonymous said...

In growth, Mississippi is 36th of the 50 states in the last 5 years.

In the 3rd quarter of 2023 growth was .8% which was an improvement from -1.8% in the second quarter.

It's pretty sad when North Dakota and Wyoming had over 5% growth.

Utah and Idaho have a better economic outlook and if you've been to either place, that's hard to understand.

But, look geez people who believe Donald Trump is not only sane but also ordained by God, that the 2020 election was stolen,that Hannity( who couldn't manage to get out of college) is a genius, and Putin is actually a good guy, will believe anything.

Anonymous said...

Unemployment rates, employment rates, labor force participation rates, re-employment, new jobs, new hires, jobs created, dropped out of labor force, under-employed....All of these data are based entirely on guestimates, estimates, surveys, perceived trends, forced government reporting and, lastly...revisions each month to the prior figures.

I'm not guessing or pointing fingers or speaking out of school. Worked in that arena for three decades.

Statisticians gave us this: If a woman has her head in a 400 degree oven and her feet in a tub of ice water, on average...she is comfortable.

Anonymous said...

30 years of total Republican control in the statehouse.

Must be the Dems fault.

Anonymous said...

May 20, 2024 at 9:48 AM, what I believe is your obsession with Trump has become detrimental to your ability to be rational. Counseling is strongly encouraged.

Anonymous said...

@ 10:31 - Even in the best of times, it's not easy to overcome 150 years of democrat control.

Anonymous said...

Most important part of the gov’s statement is “those that want to work” you got to have a population that wants to work for the numbers to mean anything. These folks have figured out that the difference in earnings between working blue collar job and being on government assistance is only a few thousand dollars. Why work? The government pays you not to work.

Anonymous said...

The unemployment could drop to 0% and the same people would still not be working.

Room317MetropolHotel said...

If you're unskilled and you get a job at a fast food restaurant or other job that does not require skills, I can guarantee you that these three things will happen:
1. You will be paid every two weeks, not every week
2. You will be allowed to work 30, maybe 32 hours a week, and
3. You will make $10/hour.

I understand # 2 because the federal law is such that if the employee works over a certain threshold, they must be offered benefits. Don't like it, but understand it.

I also understand $10/hour because supply and demand is what it is.

For the life of me, I cannot understand # 1. Someone coming to work at a business that meets these conditions does not have two weeks' worth of cash reserves in order to wait until the first check is paid. I'm ok with going a week in the hole, but not two - or even more, depending on when you started work and when the pay period ends.

Things like this are a deterrent to people working.


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