Mississippi unemployment steady at 3.8%; forecasts show little growth through 2027
Mississippi’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.8 percent in June for the fourth consecutive month, state economist Corey Miller said, and new estimates predict little change in employment in 2026 with modest growth in 2027.
Miller said the labor market has been in a “no-hire, no-fire” pattern since the spring as businesses remain cautious after strong hiring following the pandemic. He said Mississippi’s seasonally adjusted labor force participation rate is 55.2 percent, the lowest in two years, a trend that mirrors the national rate of 61.5 percent in June, the lowest in five years.
The University Research Center reported that employment in Mississippi grew an average of 1.3 percent a year from 2021 to 2025 but is projected to decline by an average of 0.1 percent annually from 2026 to 2030. The center also forecast state GDP growth slowing from about 2.5 percent in the previous five years to about 1.3 percent over the next five years, the report said. Miller attributed the downshift in part to continued economic uncertainty surrounding tariffs and the war in Iran.
Regional economic development has drawn attention in northeast Mississippi, where the Golden Triangle LINK is facing scrutiny from Oktibbeha County. The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors served the LINK a two-year notice in June that could terminate its contract in 2028, the county board told Mississippi Marketplace. Board members and Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill cited leadership turnover and concerns about development outcomes. The LINK fired longtime CEO Joe Max Higgins in August 2025 and has had short-tenured leadership since; the organization is now led by Meryl Fisackerly, the former chief operating officer, the report said.
Mississippi Marketplace also reported several economic developments across the state: Aluminum Dynamics is investing $200 million in Lowndes County to build a recycled aluminum slab plant after investing about $2 billion in an aluminum rolling plant; MEI Industrial Solutions signed a lease for the former Levi’s distribution center in Gluckstadt, which had been vacant since December 2024; Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes renewed a 15-year lease in downtown Jackson; a collaboration between three Mississippi universities and Downtown Jackson Partners will offer students downtown revitalization studio space near the Governor’s Mansion; Siemens Energy broke ground on a $300 million switchgear factory in Rankin County; the University of Mississippi Medical Center will take over Greenwood Leflore Hospital on Aug. 1; and SIP Manufacturing said it will invest $100 million in Southaven and create 187 jobs.
Source: Original Article
