Crawford: Mississippi’s Bryant Turning Manufacturing Trends Around
Governor Phil Bryant and his economic development team are on the verge of achieving another rare uptick in manufacturing jobs. Last year, jobs in manufacturing averaged the same as the prior year, 135,200. Not losing manufacturing jobs was a good accomplishment.
Even better is recent manufacturing job growth. Through June, average jobs in manufacturing totaled 136,300, up a total of 1,100.
“Economic development is the centerpiece of what we do,” Bryant told a Neshoba County Fair audience. “It is the sun in our political universe. And everything else rotates around it: education, healthcare, transportation. We’ve got to have that growing dynamic economy, and we do.”
Bryant says he has announced the creation of more than 7,200 new jobs and more than $1.1 billion in private sector investment. Many of those jobs are in Mississippi’s growing automotive sector. The Yokohama Tire Company project in West Point will bring 500 jobs with the potential for 2,000. The Nissan Motor Company expansion in Canton will add 800 jobs.
“We are producing results, and our economy has reached $100 billion for the first time in the state’s history,” Bryant told fairgoers. “This growth and recognitions the state has recently received are a result of the hard work that is taking place to move the state forward economically.”
Bill Crawford
MBJ
8/12/13
