JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) - The hospitality and retail industry is important to the economy, and a variety of skills can be learned from working in the industry.

Working in retail and hospitality teaches people the ins and outs of a business, along with hard and soft skills for those who aspire to own a business or work in management.

Daniel Lang, the director of Economic Development for the City of Flowood, said the industry is tough to be in right now because wages and margins are thin.

“It's difficult for those restaurants or those companies, whoever it is in that category, to pay a certain amount of wage that people are looking for," Lang said.

According to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES), there are 117 jobs available for fast food and counter workers in Hinds, Rankin and Madison counties as of Monday, May 20. The estimated wage from 2022 ranges from about $18,000 to $21,000 a year.

There are also retail sales openings across the Jackson-metro area. The estimated wage from 2022 ranges from about $21,000 to $30,000.

Jordan Wesley, the owner of Miss Marie Lashes, said she's been working since she was 16. She worked at indoor amusement parks and the retail industry. Wesley became self-employed in 2021.

“It builds work ethic, you know, and I'm not going to lie, if I didn't have those jobs, I probably wouldn't be as good at customer service. I probably wouldn't be as good at retaining customers and just really understanding what the consumer wants at like a really personal level," she said.