Mississippi Today

Is Gov. Tate Reeves correct with ‘record jobs’ claim? Depends on which data you pull.

Published

2 years ago

July 2, 2023

Gov. Tate Reeves proudly proclaims in a campaign advertisement that “more of our people are working in Mississippi than ever before.”

That statement running on local television stations would be true for most states, but not necessarily so for Mississippi, according to at least one set of statistics compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Based on one jobs report produced by BLS, the federal agency that tracks employment data, Mississippi reached a high-water mark for jobs in May 2000 with 1,243,022 people employed. In May 2023, the state had 1,206,804 people working, about 5,000 fewer than a month earlier — though those latest two months of jobs numbers are subject to revision.

Based on another jobs report compiled by BLS using different data, the governor is correct when he says more people are working than ever before. According to that data, Mississippi reached an all-time employment level high of 1,178,700 jobs in May, up about 300 jobs from April.

The difference in reports depends on varying models used by BLS researchers. The unemployment rate released each month is developed using data from the Current Population Survey and does not count people working multiple jobs, but does count self-employed workers, workers on leave, agriculture workers and others.

In the other BLS model, though, if a person is working two jobs, it counts both jobs in the total. But the model, the Current Employment Statistics, does not count self-employed workers, workers on leave, agriculture workers and others.

But even using the non-farm data that shows the state currently at its peak employment numbers, Mississippi still ranks 50th in jobs growth since 2000, based on information compiled by Arizona State University’s Seidman Research Institute.

At any rate, using various metrics, Mississippi has not exceeded the jobs growth of the rest of the nation since the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States regained all the jobs lost during the pandemic in July 2022. Mississippi already was losing jobs by the time the pandemic hit in early 2020. The state hit a high mark in non-farm payroll in November 2019 with 1,170,900 jobs and did not surpass that number again until September 2022.

According to BLS, using the non-farm category, Mississippi added 16,600 jobs from May 2022 to May 2023, or a 1.4% increase. That placed Mississippi among the bottom eight states in terms of jobs growth.

Rhode Island was the only state that had more jobs in May 2022 than a year later, according to BLS, using the non-farm, payroll data.

Without a doubt, the health of the Mississippi economy will be a major issue during this year’s gubernatorial campaign between the incumbent Republican Reeves and Democratic challenger Brandon Presley. And numbers can be manipulated to prove various arguments.

“Mississippi is open for business and our state is growing stronger every day. This is Mississippi’s time,” the governor said on social media.

But Presley has said, “Mississippi is at the bottom of the nation for economic growth.”.

Who is right? That will be much discussed before Mississippians go to the polls in November.

Reeves is celebrating the fact that Mississippi has a historically low 3.2% unemployment rate for the month of May and highlighting three consecutive months the state had set records for lowest unemployment rates.

The national unemployment rate was 3.7% in May — the highest since October 2020. But the national unemployment rate for multiple months is still historically low for the modern era. The lowest on record of 2.5% occurred in 1953.

The unemployment rate reflects the number of people looking for a job.

Many believe the labor force participation rate, which reflects the number of people eligible to work who are employed, is a more accurate reflection of economic well-being.

Mississippi continues to trail the nation in the labor force participation rate. Mississippi’s and West Virginia’s seasonally adjusted labor force participation rates of 54.6% in May were the lowest in the nation. The national average for May was 62.6% — the highest since before the pandemic.

Mississippi’s best labor force participation rate in the modern era of 62.8% occurred in early 2000, when the state hit its zenith in terms of employment, according to at least one Bureau of Labor Statistics measurement category.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

22 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

23 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

24 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.