Mississippi Development Authority Director Bill Cork is stepping down after nearly three years leading the state’s economic development agency.
Gov. Tate Reeves called Cork’s sudden departure a “retirement.”
During Cork’s tenure, Mississippi has seen over $65 billion in investments, mostly from data centers, and the creation of 23,000 jobs. Over Reeves’ two terms as governor, the state has seen a total of $85 billion in investment.
Katherine Lin Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi TodayPaul Jerrod “P.J.” Waldrop, the current deputy director and chief operating officer of MDA, will lead the agency. He is the fourth person Reeves has appointed to the job. Reeves has struggled over two terms to keep a permanent, Senate-confirmed director in the position. Cork was his longest serving director by a matter of months.
Unemployment, labor force participation decline
In August, Mississippi’s unemployment rate continued to decline from 3.6% in July to 3.4%. It was one of eight states that saw significant decreases in the unemployment rate, with the rest remaining relatively unchanged.
But Mississippi’s labor force participation also dropped.
The total number of non-farm employees was up slightly month over month and year over year. However, the size of the overall civilian labor force and labor force participation rate decreased. The seasonally adjusted labor-force participation rate dropped to 54.7% down from 55.7% a year before, the lowest rate since April 2024. Mississippi’s labor force participation rate is second-lowest in the country, behind West Virginia.
Unemployment was down in the Gulfport-Biloxi, Hattiesburg and Jackson Metro areas month over month and year over year at 3%, 2.9% and 3% respectively, accompanied by decreases in the civilian labor force in all three areas.
Companies get low marks on clean energy
A Sierra Club report gave Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power an “F” and a “C” respectively for their transition to clean energy sources. Both grades referenced increasing demand partly driven by the state’s economic growth, led by data centers, and customer demand.
Both Entergy and Mississippi Power’s parent companies are seeing exceptional growth thanks to data centers. Southern Power Company, of which Mississippi Power is a subsidiary, saw 49% higher usage year to date according to its recent earnings presentation.
At the recent meeting of the Southern States Energy Board, Gov. Reeves said that the state is taking an all-of-the-above approach and not relying on any single source of energy.
Other news
A developer is looking to put a $6-billion data center campus on 800 acres in Jefferson Davis County. Eagle Rock Partners held a public meeting this week to talk to residents and answer community questions. The company said construction is set to begin in 2027. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee is meeting on Thursday and Friday. Senators and Representatives will hear from 11 agencies on their proposed spending as work begins on a budget for the 2028 fiscal year. The final budget will be determined during the upcoming legislative session. So far, the Office of Workforce Development requested a $7-million budget, up by $3 million to meet the “urgent” need for trained workers, and the Health Department requested level funding for the upcoming fiscal year. The median sale price of a home in Mississippi is one of the lowest in the nation, around $260,000, compared to over $380,000 nationally. However, the state has not been immune to increasing housing prices. Housing prices in the Golden Triangle are up by nearly $70,000 based on data from the Commercial Dispatch. The Ole Miss and LSU game brought in nearly $109 million for Oxford alone. A typical home game brings in $30 million to $70 million. The state will use $8.5 million in federal money to increase its short-term workforce training and support its implementation of Workforce Pell Grants at community colleges. The federal financial aid program was expanded last year to cover program costs for eligible short-term workforce education. It’s part of Mississippi’s larger push to encourage Mississippians to pursue jobs that are currently in high demand. Natchez officials are evaluating a potential data center at the old International Paper mill. It’s been a few months since the last official data center announcement.Hence then, the article about economic development chief leaves unemployment workforce down mississippi marketplace was published today ( ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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