RIDGELAND, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Empower Mississippi released a new report on Tuesday that analyzed Mississippi’s labor force participation rate.

According to officials, the new report looks at several factors to determine who is participating in the workforce in Mississippi and why more people are not taking advantage of increasing job opportunities.

“Over the past five years, Mississippi has experienced significant economic growth, with historically low unemployment rates, record levels of capital investment, and wide job availability; yet, our state continues to struggle with a lagging labor force participation rate,” said Grant Callen, CEO of Empower Mississippi. “At a rate of 53.9%, Mississippi sits at the bottom of U.S. rankings. Empower commissioned this analysis of our state’s labor force to establish a baseline of findings and identify opportunities for improvement with a single goal in mind: help
more Mississippians experience the life-changing benefits of work.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mississippi’s labor force participation rate has been among the nation’s lowest for many years. To determine why, Empower Mississippi commissioned the National Strategic Planning & Analysis Research Center (NSPARC) at Mississippi State University (MSU) to provide data insights into the state’s labor market challenges through a baseline study.

The report analyzes factors impacting the labor force, including age, education level, race, and gender. It also includes data on workforce turnover rates, comparisons of high and low performing counties in surrounding states, and other measures related to workforce issues.

Officials said the report compiles data from 2010-2023 and factors in recent economic trends and events such as the aftermath of the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the findings include:

• Age: The population most likely to be in the labor force are in the 25-44 (78.9%) and 45-
  64 (61.7%) age groups, with the lowest being in the 65+ group (13.5%). All age groups
  have seen a decline in labor force participation since 2010.
• Education: The most critical indicator of labor force participation is the level of education attainment. This study shows that Mississippians with postsecondary education participated in the labor force at greater rates than those with lower educational attainment, with the highest rates observed by those with an associate’s degree (68.3%) followed by those with a bachelor’s degree (66.7%). The least likely to be recorded as being in the labor force are those who do not have a high school diploma.
• Race: Average monthly labor force participation rates were similar for non-Hispanic
  Black and White populations (54% and 53%, respectively), while Hispanic individuals
  had a higher-than-average rate (61.8%).
• Gender: Males participated at higher rates than females (59.8% compared to 48.5%) but
  experienced similar levels of decline.

Empower Mississippi is inviting the public to provide feedback on the report. Citizens can send feedback or comments to research@empowerms.org.

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