Post on WDAM.COM
By Jay Harrison
Published: Jun. 14, 2024 at 6:54 PM CDT
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics recently listed Hattiesburg as one of three cities in the nation with a 1.6 percent unemployment rate in April.
That’s compared to Mississippi’s 3.2 percent unemployment rate.
“This stuff happens because there are a lot of people in the public sector, whether it’s board of supervisors, city council, the mayor,” Hattiesburg Area Development Partnership President Todd Jackson said. “Then, all of the private sector organizations that are working together to try and move Hattiesburg forward.”
In 2023, the Hub City had a 1.9 percent increase in jobs. Now, about 62,000 folks are punching the clock.
“The community consistently has led the state of Mississippi in job growth and has been ranked in the top 15 in the nation for job growth in the last several years,” Jackson said. “So, obviously, there’s a lot of job growth, lot of job opportunities there,”
Jackson said with more folks working, more money can be used to help with things like infrastructure.
“A growth in sales tax revenue, a growth in property tax revenue, a growth in the revenue of our local units of government, all mean more money will come back to roads and bridges,” Jackson said.
Areas like food service, healthcare and education are projected to have the highest demand by 2030.
Jackson said the ADP hopes to catch on to that trend and keep making Hattiesburg a place where folks can thrive.
“There’ll be more opportunities in the future,” said Jackson. “That’s naturally gonna help our community grow where people view Hattiesburg as a place to get a good job opportunity, but also live a good quality of life.”
