Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1955-04-02
Miss. on-Farm
Workers Increase
81 Percent From
1889 To 1854

The number of wage and salary
workers in Mississippi's non-farm
industries has increased approx
mately G7 per cent between 1889
and 1854, according to a new Sc
ries of pamphlets on national en-,
ployment conditions prepared by
the United States Department of
Labor in cooperation with the Vet
Grams Administration.
The pamphlets-based on 1850
census reports and supplemented
by current surveys-were prepared
primarily for VAS use in the coun-
selling and training of veterans I'M
der the Korean CT Bill and Public
Law 16 for the disabled.
Statistics on Mississippi employ
ment conditions are included in one
of the first regional studies COM
pleted. The greatest growth dur
ing the five year period studied
was in trade industries with a gain
of $4,000 workers followed by an
increase of $4,000 in manufacture
ing establishments.
Despite this rather rapid indus
trial and commercial development,
Mississippi remains one of the
least industrialized states in the
country. In 1850, for example,
more than 40 per cent of all en-.
ployed workers earned their living
in agriculture. Wholesale and re-
tail trade with more than Is per
cent of the employed workers
ranked second followed by manu-
featuring with slightly less than
13 per cent of the total.
A. w. Woolford, manager of the
VA Center in Jackson and Bruins
wick A. Bagdon, Atlanta Regional
Director of the Bureau of Labor
Statistics said the booklet may be
used most effectively as a supple
ment to the Occupational Outlook
Handbook (another VA-Labor De-
partment joint venture) and local
labor market data.
1T is desirable also to know the
broad occupational picture through
out the nation as we'll as the spe-
cific picture in a locality since the
two are not always the same"
Woolford pointed out.
Detailed information on indus
trial and occupational distribution
Of employed persons in Mississippi
and Jackson metropolitan area are
presented in the pamphlet. 1t is
titled "Occupations and Industries
in the East South Central States"
and may be purchased from the
Government Printing Office, Wash
ington %, d. c., for 40 cents. The
number of the pamphlet is It's.
Data. partly compiled by the
Mississippi Employment Security
Commission, illustrates how re-
gional industrial development and
population change in the industrial
composition between 1910 and
1850.
The most important development
was the decline in agriculture en-
ployment from 100000 in 1910 to
slightly better than 100000 in
1850. Although manufacturing en-
ployment grew about Sc per cent
during the decade, this was the
smallest rate of growth in the
southeastern states and was below
the average for the country as
whole.
Although the pamphlet was pre-
pared primarily for VAS use,
Woolford and Bagdon pointed out
it should prove extremely helpful
to schools giving courses in occu-
pations or offering vocational coun-
selling to students. Further it
should aid personnel workers in
recruitment and placement and as
sist civic and other organizations
in planning industrial and CONNER
cial development programs.
About 10000 Mississippi work
ers were employed in manufacture
ing in 1850. Lumber and wood
products was by far the largest