An Education Writers Association seminar in Atlanta focused on the link between illiteracy and the workplace in the South. State economic development policies are largely bypassing rural areas, and the effects of this urban-rural split include persistent high poverty rates, population loss, and unemployment. Changes in the workplace, particularly the emphasis on problem solving and critical thinking, mean that illiteracy in the workplace is growing. Current school reforms have not yet turned the tide on the illiteracy problem. Economic development in the South is creating a service, not a high-tech economy, with implications for the match between workplace skill needs and systems for delivering education. Strategies for economic development must be multifaceted, but adult literacy programs must be emphasized in the South. (Addresses and telephone numbers are provided for the seminar presenters. Addresses and telephone numbers are provided for five additional sources: Education Commission of the States, Council of State Policy and Planning Agencies, National Governor's Association, Northeast/Midwest Institute, and Western Governors' Association. A bar graph showing the relationship between unemployment and illiteracy in the South is included.) (CML)