Self-Sufficiency « Policy Matters

Share |

2011 Annual Policy Conference Recap

October 26, 2011

Filed under: 2011 Annual Policy Conference,Basic Economic Security,Budget & Tax,Education,Events,Healthcare,Income & Working Families,Jobs,Making Mississippi Competitive: Solutions For Building Assets In Low-Wealth Communities,Poverty,Predatory Lending,Revenue,Self-Sufficiency,Taxes,Workforce — admin @ 10:23 AM

The 2011 Annual Policy Conference was a great success. Thank you to everyone who attended and the presenters who shared their knowledge and expertise. This year, MEPC expanded our break out session format to allow participants to attend two sessions.

Darrin Webb, opened the conference with an overview of Mississippi’s economy and Bobby Harrison, Capitol Correspondent for the North East Mississippi Daily Journal and Emily Wagster-Pettus, Associated Press political reporter served as respondents to the presentation, offer insight on how the changing political landscape will affect efforts to engage policy makers on issues affecting working families.

Our keynote luncheon address focused on the importance of the role of government in the lives of all Americans and the need for various constituencies to work together for a more prosperous Mississippi. Video of our Keynote Speaker, Hodding Carter III, Professor of Leadership and Public Policy University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will also be available soon on our website so check back!

Below are brief descriptions of our 2011 Breakout Sessions:

Taxes fund the public structures that make up the foundation of our economy and make job creation possible.

MEPC Senior Policy Analyst Sara Miller and Elaine Mejia Senior Program Associate with Public Works at Demos present tax reform options and how to talk about taxes effectively in the current political landscape.

Understanding the challenges and opportunities of health care reform implementation

Corey Wiggins with i-Think Group examine the ongoing efforts of health reform implementation in Mississippi and how those opportunities and challenges affect the lives of working Mississippians.

Measuring basic economic security in Mississippi and building pathways for working families to achieve it

Wider Opportunity for Women’s Delese Harvey explores the new benchmark for basic economic security and gives hands on guidance on how organizations can use the Basic Economic Security Tables to advocate for programs that support families in their community or to help adults budget and set goals as they re-enter the workforce.

Steps to help Mississippi’s working families protect and build assets

Mississippi Center for Justice Community Organizer, Alicia Netterville and Felicia Lyles, VP Regional Branch Administrator for Hope Credit Union explain the effects of payday lending and how working families can make responsible financial decisions and move toward economic security.

PDF versions of all the PowerPoint presentations given in each break out session at the conference.

Comments (0)

Exploring Basic Economic Security In Your County Online

October 19, 2011

Filed under: Basic Economic Security,Education,Income & Working Families,Self-Sufficiency,Workforce — admin @ 8:59 AM

The previous post focused on the release of a new report – Basic Economic Security Tables for Mississippi- that measures how much Mississippi’s families need to cover basic expenses and save for long-term economic security. Across Mississippi, 1 worker needs $26,664 per year to reach this benchmark and a family with 2 workers, 1 preschooler and 1 schoolchild needs $55,586 per year for their basic needs and modest savings for retirement and emergencies.

WHAT ABOUT BASIC ECONOMIC SECURITY IN MY COUNTY?

Families experience different costs for basic needs and different savings targets depending on where they live in the state. To ensure residents, non-profits, schools, and public agencies have access to county-level information on the income families need for basic economic security, MEPC has printable fact sheets for each county.

To the right is an example of county-level basic economic security tables for Lauderdale County. In Lauderdale County, 1 worker needs $25,956 per year for basic economic security compared to the state average of $26,664. Each fact sheet shows basic expenses and savings for 6 different family types. County fact sheets are available for each of Mississippi’s 82 counties.

UPGRADES TO THE ONLINE CALCULATOR

The Basic Economic Security Tables build on MEPC’s use of the Self-Sufficiency Standard, and MEPC’s online calculator has been upgraded to include basic needs and savings amounts from the new report.

The new Basic Economic Security Calculator allows individuals to pick their monthly savings targets for emergencies, retirement, homeownership and children’s post-secondary education. The savings are then included in the family’s monthly budget. After an individual gets their basic economic security wage, they can proceed down the page to compare it with the wages different occupations pay in their community. Occupational wages have been updated to 2010 with the help of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

The online calculator has been a valuable resource for Mississippi’s high school students, teachers, guidance counselors and adults returning to training. MEPC is excited to launch this upgraded online resource and looks forward to working with individuals and groups across the state to expand awareness of what families need to reach true economic security and advance beyond living pay check to pay check.

To learn about ways to use both the county fact sheets and online calculator in your community and across the state, attend MEPC’s 2011 Annual Policy Conference on October 21, 2011.

Author: Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst

Comments (0)

INTRODUCING THE BASIC ECONOMIC SECURITY TABLES FOR MISSISSIPPI, 2011

October 18, 2011

Filed under: Basic Economic Security,Education,Income & Working Families,Jobs,Making Mississippi Competitive: Solutions For Building Assets In Low-Wealth Communities,Self-Sufficiency,Workforce — admin @ 10:59 AM

In the wake of the 2007 recession, many Mississippi families are still struggling to reach financial stability in their households. A new report –Basic Economic Security Tables for Mississippi- from MEPC and Wider Opportunities for Women redefines how much Mississippi’s families need for true economic security in today’s economy by covering their basic needs but also saving for life-long economic security.

Basic Economic Security Tables for Mississippi determines how much families need for daily necessities and includes monthly savings targets for emergencies and retirement. These savings targets insulate families from poverty and increase economic security across generations. In Mississippi, a family with 2 workers, a preschooler and a school child needs each adult to work full time and earn $13.16 per hour to reach basic economic security.
____________________________________________________________________

BASIC ECONOMIC SECURITY LINE BY LINE FOR 2 MISSISSIPPI FAMILY TYPES

The tables show monthly basic expenses and savings targets for 2 family types. The table on the left shows average monthly targets for 1 worker in Mississippi. The worker needs $443 for housing, $138 for utilities and $246 for food and so on. In total, a single working adult in Mississippi needs $26,664 per year or $12.63 per month to cover basics and have modest savings for emergencies and retirement.

The table on the right shows similar expenses and savings for family with 2 working adults, 1 preschooler and 1 schoolchild. For this family to reach basic economic security, each adult needs to earn $13.16 per hour for a combined income of $4,632 per month to cover their basic needs and save for retirement and emergencies like job loss or an unexpected medical bill.

The tables assume workers receive employment-based benefits like health insurance through their employer and unemployment insurance. Without these additional employment-based benefits families will need to save more for emergencies and increase their monthly healthcare budget substantially. For example, the average 2-adult, 2-child family which cannot participate in an employer-sponsored health insurance plan pays $634 more per month -$7,608 per year- more than those who do participate in employer health plans.

Want to know more? Keep reading, tomorrow’s post will drill down and look at basic economic security in different counties and we’ll walk through updated online resources for members of communities across the state.

Author: Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst

Comments (1)

DAY 1 OF BUDGET HEARINGS: Many State Workers Earn Wages Below Self-Sufficiency Levels

September 20, 2011

Filed under: Budget & Tax,Budget Hearings FY 2013,FY 2013,Income & Working Families,Jobs,Self-Sufficiency — admin @ 10:40 AM

Yesterday, the FY 2013 budget hearings commenced with an overview by the Mississippi State Personnel Board (MSPB). Currently 34% of the state’s workforce is under the purview of the MSPB with the remaining workers including K-12 teachers, IHL, the community colleges and the Governor’s Office / Legislative Branch.

During the hearing, the MSPB highlighted a number of challenges facing the state in the support and recruitment of a competitive workforce:

As of June 30, 2011, state employment experienced the largest decrease in employee numbers in the last decade.
The average salary of our state employees is $34,279—however, 62% of all state employees earn less than the average salary.

With 62% of state employees earning less than $34,279, many state workers are earning wages below self sufficiency levels.
Mississippi’s state employees covered under the MSPB earn significantly less than state employees in each of its border states (between 14.7% less than AR and 31.5% less than workers in LA).
Despite population increases, there are fewer state workers covered by the MSPB than there were ten years ago.

The information shared by the MSPB illustrates that many of Mississippi’s state workers are not earning high wages. In fact – many are not even earning wages that bring their families to self-sufficiency. The wage information on state workers comes in light of two additional and important facts at both ends of career life cycle for state employees:

Over the past 5 years 72% of employee resignations came from individuals that were employed for 5 years or less.
Over the next 5 years, nearly 33% of the workforce will be eligible to retire.

Appropriately, much attention has been paid to the Public Employee Retirement System Study Commission. Any policy changes considered regarding the changing of the Public Employee Retirement System should be reviewed in the context of the total compensation package available to state workers. If Mississippi continues to provide very low wages and cannot offset the low wages with a competitive benefit package, how will it attract the talent needed to provide high quality services to its citizens?

Authors:
Francinia McKeithan, Policy Analyst, SFAI Policy Fellow
Ed Sivak, MEPC Director

Comments (0)

Mississippi’s Economic Potential is Being Limited by Long-Standing Disparities

June 28, 2011

Filed under: Education,Making Mississippi Competitive: Solutions For Building Assets In Low-Wealth Communities,Mississippi Economic Recovery Resources,Poverty,Self-Sufficiency,Unemployment — admin @ 1:43 PM

On Sunday, June 26, The Clarion-Ledger ran a perspective piece penned by Bill Bynum, the CEO of the Hope Enterprise Corporation (the sponsoring entity of the Mississippi Economic Policy Center). The piece highlighted the changing demographics of Mississippi’s youth and the implications for future development. You can read “Capitalizing Diversity” and an additional editorial on investments needed in our region on the HOPE website.

Notably, for the first time since census records were being kept, Mississippi now has more children of color than white children. Chart 1 illustrates the breakout.

At the same time, most children of color are born into and grow up in a socio-economic environment that is vastly different from their white counterparts. Nearly one out of two African American children – the largest group of non-white children in Mississippi – lives in poverty. The chart below shows the disparities between black and white children’s poverty status in MS.

The disparities are particularly disturbing given the relationship between growing up in poverty and dropping out of school, receiving public assistance as an adult, incarceration, low-wage employment, and teen pregnancy. Also of concern, unless we act as a state to address the long standing disparities, the economic potential of the state is limited.

Moving forward, we must work together to create jobs by investing in the systems that foster employment – good schools, quality health care, smooth roads and safe communities. Policies that support entrepreneurship, homeownership and asset development also serve as important bricks on the road to prosperity.

Author: Ed Sivak, MEPC Director

Comments (0)

Connecting Women To NonTraditional Occupations

June 22, 2011

Filed under: Income & Working Families,Jobs,Self-Sufficiency — admin @ 8:30 AM

In Mississippi, 55% of households headed by women live below the self-sufficiency level compared to 32% of male headed households or 18% of households with couples.¹ The portion of female headed households below self-sufficiency rises to 68% for women who are also single parents and financially providing for their children.

In Mississippi, women make up 48% of the state’s labor force.² They work across all industries and at all levels of the wage scale. In many industries, median wages for women fall below men’s wages. However, many occupations that are not usually pursued by women pay quality wages and offer upward career mobility. In an effort to transition more women into employment with higher wages, many states, including Mississippi, are working to connect women to training in fields labeled as nontraditional.

What are some examples of these nontraditional occupations?
The table lists 15 examples of nontraditional occupations across the spectrum of educational attainment for women based on the percentage of women that work in that occupation nationally and details Mississippi wages and estimated annual job openings.

With women comprising almost half of the state’s labor force, strategies that aim to raise women’s wages also increase economic security of children and communities. They also create a more skilled workforce.

Making training accessible to working women frequently requires support with child care, transportation, flexible scheduling and additional support as they enter a field with a traditionally male workforce. Providing training with these supports as well as educational outreach to inform women about the broader spectrum of job opportunities available are both important goals for leaders in education and workforce development.

Want projections more specific to your area? Click here and then select the link for your community college district.

Author: Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst

¹Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Mississippi.

²Mississippi Department of Employment Security. http://mdes.ms.gov/Home/docs/LMI/Publications/Affirmative%20Action/AffAct2010.pdf

Comments (0)

Employment Is Not Enough To Keep Many Mississippi Families Out Of Poverty-Part 2

June 20, 2011

Filed under: Income & Working Families,Jobs,Self-Sufficiency — admin @ 9:18 AM

A previous post covers the rising number of working families in Mississippi living on income below the poverty level. Today, we take a closer look at how wages impact the number of working poor families in the state and consider how economic insecurity varies by family characteristics.

LOW WAGE JOBS:

The prevalence of low wage jobs contributes to the relatively high concentration of working poor families in the state. How is low wage job defined? Here we set a threshold as the hourly wage needed for a full-time worker to keep a family of four out of poverty, adjusted for the state cost of living. Because the cost of living is slightly lower in the state, Mississippi’s threshold is actually below most states at $9.54¹.

More than one in four working adults –27.7%– are in low wage jobs that pay below this level. Mississippi’s portion of low wage workers is among the nation’s highest and is the highest in the Mid South (see figure).

Often, workers in low wage opportunities may not receive health insurance through their employer and may work in entry level jobs that are more vulnerable to fluctuations in work hours and periods of unemployment. A lack of benefits, fluctuations in work hours or extends periods without work further challenge workers that are already facing economic insecurity.

WORKING POOR FAMILIES BY RACE AND GENDER:

Families headed by a minority adult are more likely to be low-income or poor than families headed by a white adult. One in every four working families headed by a minority parent is poor in Mississippi.² In 2009, there were 16,600 working poor families headed by white adults, compared to 34,600 working poor families headed by a non-white adult. Across races, single parents, particularly women, are more likely to live inadequate income than two parents households or those headed by men.³

In our next post, we’ll focus on occupations that are not traditionally pursued by women, and we will explore which of these nontraditional occupations offer opportunities for greater economic security for women across different levels of skill and educational attainment.

Author: Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst

¹Working Poor Families Project. 2011 State Data and Indicators.

²Overlook and Undercounted Making Ends Meet in Mississippi.

³Low wage figures developed by the Working Poor Families Project. For more information see: http://www.workingpoorfamilies.org.

Comments (0)

Employment Is Not Enough To Keep Many Mississippi Families Out Of Poverty

June 17, 2011

Filed under: Income & Working Families,Self-Sufficiency — admin @ 10:49 AM

Many families are working and still struggling financially to make ends meet. Similar to middle and high income families, many low-income families work hard and seek to balance responsibilities of work and family life. However, working poor and low-income families are more vulnerable to economic insecurity and have a harder time keeping up with the costs of housing, health care, child care, transportation and other basic needs and are often hindered from saving for their own future and their children’s.

In Mississippi, the portion of working poor families rose this decade according to the Working Poor Families Project (see figure). In 2009, the percentage of working families living on income below the Federal Poverty Level grew to 15.6%, equal to 51,265 families. The state’s portion of working families that are poor is significantly above the nation’s 9.5%.

Mississippi’s working families continue to need quality employment opportunities with higher wages, so that those adults that work hard can also build long-term economic security for themselves and their children– the next generation of Mississippi’s workers and business owners. With the portion of working families living in poverty growing, the challenge facing the state is threefold:

To raise the number of job opportunities with quality wages;
To provide on-the-job training and postsecondary pathways for the current workforce to gain skills to attain higher wage employment and;
To ensure a better future for all residents by raising revenue and strengthening investments that educate our children and create jobs.

Next week, Policy Matters takes a more in-depth look at factors that contribute to the number of families living on very low incomes.

Author: Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst
Source: Working Poor Families Project. Indicators and Data 2000-2010.

Comments (0)

Exploring Ways to Use the MEPC Self-Sufficiency Calculator Tool Part 2

May 4, 2011

Filed under: Income & Working Families,Self-Sufficiency — admin @ 9:33 AM

Tuesday, we looked at two of the ways the MEPC online Self-Sufficiency calculator can be utilized to assist students entering college and community organizations. Today, we conclude our two part series with a closer look at how the calculator can be used by teachers in secondary education and as a tool for financial literacy outreach and education focused on individuals within the community.

LIFE SKILLS & ECONOMICS TEACHERS AND HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES: Take advantage of the free lesson plans, pretests and worksheets developed just for the Self-Sufficiency Calculator on the Mississippi Association of Economic Educators website. Lessons plans give a step-by-step guide for a number of ways to use the calculator in class. Lessons cover topics such as wants vs. needs, budgeting, searching for college programs, and keeping up with monthly expenses. All lesson plans are free and available for download any time.

FINANCIAL EDUCATION AND OUTREACH:
With a small group of college students or adults, open the discourse with an examination of needs versus wants. Identify the basic needs that all people must meet for economic safety and security. Then, use the calculator tool to determine how much those basic needs cost for 1 adult, and calculate how needs change as you have children or relocate to a different county. Use the wage tool just below the calculator to walk individuals through a variety of career choices and educational options while discussing whether they potentially pay enough to reach Self-Sufficiency. After career choices have been made, individuals can find jobs in demand by county and search for job training providers using the links at the bottom of the page. Templates for creating a “Self-Sufficiency Discussion” are available by request.

For more information on how to use the Self-Sufficiency Calculator one-on-one, in a small group, with your community organization or for a classroom, contact Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst with MEPC.

Comments (0)

Exploring Ways to Use the MEPC Self-Sufficiency Calculator Tool Part 1

May 3, 2011

Filed under: Education,Self-Sufficiency — admin @ 9:16 AM

At MEPC, we frequently use the MS Self-Sufficiency Standard as a lens for assessing the value of programs and policies that move families towards greater economic security. Additionally, MEPC uses the online Self-Sufficiency calculator almost every day as a resource and frequently assists individuals and groups across the state in finding ways to apply the measure in their communities. Today’s post is part one of a two part series highlighting the variety of ways that individuals can use the calculator.

SCHOOL CAREER COUNSELORS OR COLLEGE STUDENTS: Start by walking students through calculating their Self-Sufficiency Standard and discussing how the amount needed to cover basic expenses changes as you move from one county to another or start a family. Counselors and students can use the career search tool to explore different careers in their subject of interest using the Self-Sufficiency worksheet. Finally, counselors can help students compare the wages of the occupation of interest with the amount they need currently and may need in the future as they start a family.

STRATEGIC PLANNING, GOAL SETTING OR KNOWLEDGE BUILDING FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS: With the help of MEPC staff, put together handouts or presentations that describe the Self-Sufficiency Standard, and illustrate how much families need in your county or region to makes ends meet without outside help. Discuss what percentage of households live above or below the Self-Sufficiency Standard in your county, and work with MEPC staff to develop a list of strategies other non-profits across MS are using to move families towards greater economic security. The Self-Sufficiency Standard can also be used to measure outcomes of programs as they move families to Self-Sufficiency.

Read tomorrow’s Policy Matters blog post for more ways on how to use the Self-Sufficiency Calculator. Author: Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst

Comments (0)

Older Posts »