WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: Pepper: Mississippi is in a recession

Pepper: Mississippi is in a recession

By Cheryl Lasseter - bio | email

PEARL, MS (WLBT) - James Pipitone of Brandon didn't think it would be so hard to find a job, in any line of work. We talked to him Friday outside the WIN Job Center in Pearl.

"I was doing oil field survey work, been laid off for six months, looking for work ever since," he says.  "I've filled out an application for everything from janitorial work to riding the back of a garbage truck. I got two calls back, that was it. I went for an interview, haven't heard from them since.  I'd take six dollars an hour if I can."

Pipitone says the Department of Human Services is knocking on his door because his unemployment check doesn't cover his child support payments.

Pipitone's story is just one of many inside the WIN Center doors. Lately, the state-run job center has been bustling with people, young and old, single and head of household, checking job listings and making calls.

Mississippi saw a bright spot in September, when unemployment rates dropped from 9.7 percent to 8.8 percent.

But State Economist Dr. Phil Pepper says those numbers don't take into account the people that have simply stopped searching for jobs. Mississippi's real unemployment figure is more like 15 percent or higher.

Pepper spoke at an economic conference in Jackson Friday.

"We've seen personal income grow at 4, 5, 6 percent a year. That's gonna slow down substantially," he says.  "You'll see people's standard of living not increase as fast as it has in the past, on average.  Mississippi is in a recession right now."

His advice to working families? Hold on to your jobs. If you're unemployed, keep plugging away.  If you have the funds, take some college classes to learn new skills so you can be better prepared when the job market improves.