SURVEY SHOWS EMPLOYMENT WILL IMPROVE; MANY BUSINESSES SAY THEY PLAN TO ADD WORKERS

More than a fourth of Southeast Missouri area employers who participated in a recent Employment Outlook Survey indicated they will add more workers during the second quarter of the fiscal year ending June 30.

The hiring forecast, compiled by Manpower Inc., shows that 27 percent of companies responding will add jobs, and another 66 percent will remain the same.

"Employment prospects in Southeast Missouri are good," said Manpower spokesperson Barbara Larkins. "Not one employer indicated a cut in jobs."

Statewide, 22 percent of employers indicated they would add workers during the second quarter, while 69 percent indicated they will retain the same workforce. "However, 7 percent of the companies said they would be cutting back," said Larkin, local branch manager of Manpower, 106 Farrar Drive.

Nationally, the study reveals an increase of job opportunities, especially in the field of construction, manufacturing and services. A total of 21 percent of those interviewed said they would increase employment, while 10 percent indicated they would decrease employment. Sixty-seven percent indicated no change.

Manpower Inc., a temporary help firm, conducts its employment survey each quarter. The survey is based on telephone interviews with more than 15,000 public and private employers in 471 U.S. cities.

Manpower provides temporary employment to about 1.5 million people through more than 1,600 offices in 34 countries.

Missouri's unemployment rate registered 7 percent in January 1992, down four-tenths of a percentage point form the January rate of the previous year, but up a full percentage point from December, when many workers filled temporary Christmas holiday positions.

The story is about the same in Cape Girardeau County, where the area topped the 5 percent mark for the first time since mid-summer, at 5.2 percent unemployment.

"January is usually a slow month," said Jackie Cecil, director of the Missouri Job Service office at Cape Girardeau. "This is the month when holiday season employees join the jobless roles. A year ago in January our unemployment was at 4.9 percent."

"We're still fortunate here," said Cecil. "We haven't had any big layoffs and we've had a good run of new retail businesses for the last five or six months.

February totals could reflect a decrease in unemployment. The Wal-Mart Superstore, which added about 100 new workers, opened late in February near Route K and Interstate 55 in Cape West Business Park.

Cape Girardeau County's unemployment rate of 5.2 percent is the lowest in Southeast Missouri. Perry County, with a 5.5 percent unemployment rate, is second on the list.

Unemployment rates were up in most Southern Illinois counties.

"A weakened state economy continues to make its presence felt in Southern Illinois," said Charles M. (Mike) Vessell, labor market economist for the Illinois Department of Employment Security at Harrisburg. "Reductions in state government along with layoffs in manufacturing, mining, transportation, and retail businesses were scattered across the southern region of Illinois."

He said that many workers who had entered the holiday job markets in late November and early December were now on unemployment status.

"Many Southern Illinois counties are low population areas," he said. "It doesn't take many layoffs to drive the jobless rates up."

Alexander, Pulaski and Union counties are still among the five highest unemployment counties in Southern Illinois. Alexander recorded 18.2 percent unemployment, Pulaski 15.8 percent and Union 16.8 percent.

In Illinois, more than a fourth of the job force in Hamilton County is still unemployed, at 26.1 percent. Second on the jobless list was Perry County, at 23.4, up 3 percentage points from a year ago.

Statewide, Illinois recorded 9.1 percent unemployment in January, but February figures were improved. Early February reports indicated that the jobless rate improved to 8.5 percent.

"We had some mass layoffs in January and February in Illinois," said Illinois Department of Employment Security Director Loleta Didrickson.

Illinois had the fifth highest jobless rate among the 11 most populous states in January, behind Michigan, New York, California and Florida. Illinois had the highest December jobless rate of any of the 11 largest industrial states, 9.2 percent.

The national rate for January was 8 percent, highest since July 1985.