Department of Employment Security

The Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) is a federally funded state agency. The programs of MDES, under direction of the governor of Mississippi, reports to the federal government. The U.S. Congress appropriates all funds expended to administer employment security programs. Funding for the Employment Service labor exchange functions comes from the federal Wagner-Peyser Act. Funding for the Unemployment Insurance Division comes from Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) on employers and is allocated to MDES by the U.S. Department of Labor. All federal funds received by MDES are cleared through the state treasury. The authority to expend these funds is granted by the state legislature.