Workforce

Workforce Facts:

• Within a 60 mile radius the Greater Jackson Area has a population of 780,000 and a labor force of 400,000

• The Greater Jackson region has an unemployment rate of 4.8%

• Mississippi is a  Right to Work state, which permits individual workers to choose whether or not they wish to join a labor union

• Mississippi was ranked 6th for the lowest unionization rates in the U.S.

• Greater Jackson has 8 colleges/universities and 3 community colleges, with a total of approximately 6000 graduates per year.

• This region has a hidden workforce of approximately 205,000 residents, consisting of the under-employed, the not-employed who want to work, residents working part-time but wanting full-time employment, and recent college graduates. 

Employment Trends

As of 2016Q1, total employment for the Greater Jackson Region was 292,390 (based on a four-quarter moving average). Over the year ending 2016Q1, employment increased 0.9% in the region.  

Employment data are derived from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and imputed where necessary. Data are updated through 2015Q3 with preliminary estimates updated to 2016Q1. 

Unemployment Rate

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the Greater Jackson Region was 4.8% as of May 2016. The regional unemployment rate was lower than the national rate of 4.9%. One year earlier, in May 2015, the unemployment rate in the  Greater Jackson Region was 5.3%. 

Unemployment rate data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics, provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and updated through May 2016.

Wage Trends

The average worker in the Greater Jackson Region earned annual wages of $40,611 as of 2016Q1. Average annual wages per worker increased 0.7% in the region during the preceding four quarters. For comparison purposes, annual average wages were $51,614 in the nation as of 2016Q1.

Annual average wages per worker data are derived from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and imputed where necessary. Data are updated through 2015Q3 with preliminary estimates updated to 2016Q1.

Industry Snapshot

The largest sector in the Greater Jackson Region is Health Care and Social Assistance, employing 52,563 workers. The next-largest sectors in the region are Retail Trade (32,053 workers) and Educational Services (26,732). High location quotients (LQs) indicate sectors in which a region has high concentrations of employment compared to the national average. The sectors with the largest LQs in the region are Public Administration (LQ = 1.35), Health Care and Social Assistance (1.28), and Educational Services (1.10).

Employment data are derived from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and imputed where necessary. Data are updated through 2015Q3 with preliminary estimates updated to 2016Q1.

Sectors in the Greater Jackson Region with the highest average wages per worker are Utilities ($87,563), Management of Companies and Enterprises ($84,247), and Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction ($73,961). Regional sectors with the best job growth (or most moderate job losses) over the last 5 years are Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (+3,186 jobs), Accommodation and Food Services (+2,727), and Manufacturing (+2,106).

Over the next 10 years, employment in the Greater Jackson Region is projected to expand by 14,428 jobs.