STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) – For years, once bustling furniture towns in northeast Mississippi saw jobs flow overseas. Then, Mississippi and some other states began what is known as “reshoring.” That’s focusing on ways to bring companies and jobs back from places like India and China. It mixes tax incentives and job training. It also meets a new attitude.
“If northeast Mississippi has the best supply of the people with the skills companies need, companies will come to Mississippi, so I’d encourage the viewers to identify those jobs and get that training,” says Harry Moser, the founder and president of Reshoring Initiative.
Those and other ideas were discussed today at Mississippi State’s annual “reshoring” summit. It brought together industry, economic developers and government leaders to talk about where we are and where we are going and what still is needed.
“Skilled work force. We need many more of our smart students to become tool makers, precision machinists, metallurgy experts either engineers or what people would call the skilled workforce,” said Moser.
The state’s community colleges are filling a big void with training programs to teach new technologies and skills. And in recent years, furniture towns like Pontotoc, Fulton, Booneville and others have seen new companies open and hundreds of jobs return.
“Technology is changing the face of all of our industries from automotive to furniture to ship building and we’re seeing tremendous improvements and enhancements in productivity,” says Clay Walden, director of CAVS extension.
One man says it’s all necessary.
“We need to bring jobs back to America and Mississippi is a vital part of that. We can create careers for our Mississippi citizens and fellow citizens. It’s critical that we do that,” says Mickey Milligan, the director of Existing Industry and Business Division.
