Opportunity

The United States economy is running strong. Unemployment is at historic lows.

The local economic picture is as strong or stronger. The regional unemployment rate is presently 3.5 percent.

This is good news for businesses, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and the service industry. But the low unemployment is a two-edged sword. The number of open positions for employment has risen dramatically the last few years.

At a recent meeting of representatives from five regional manufacturing companies it was learned the number of open positions of the group totaled over 100 jobs. Across the region there are hundreds of open jobs. These job positions cover a wide range of positions from manufacturing line jobs, welders, warehouse personnel, retail, healthcare, etc.

In a recent survey of national corporations, four of the top criteria for a company moving to an area was available labor, highway accessibility, labor costs and quality of life.

You may ask "What can I do?" as a resident of Jackson. I meet citizens everyday who feel proud and very happy to live in Jackson. Everyone knows people who live in other areas of our country and may be interested in moving to Jackson. I believe our residents are the best ambassadors for the city of Jackson.

You can be a great assistance in suggesting and encouraging friends, relatives, and acquaintances to move to our area to live, work and raise families.

Some of the reasons I feel good about encouraging others to move to Jackson are:

• Job opportunities: The low employment and good job positions offers a wide selection of well-paying careers.
• Great companies: Our area companies are solid firms that offer a range of positions and work environments. This enables the opportunity to pick a type of company you would like to work for, a large national corporation, a locally owned regional business or a small one-location shop.
• Training available: Many of our area companies offer "on the job" training for those that may desire to switch careers.
• Cost of living: The Jackson area offers a very affordable cost of living compared to much of the United States. The cost of homes, rentals, tax rates, goods and services are very reasonable in our area.

Finally, Jackson offers the 4 S's:

• Safety: We have a safe community and the city is investing in increasing staffing of our police and fire departments to assure we remain a safe town.
• Small town atmosphere: Jackson is a community that has a feel of a small town. Our events are family-friendly and the culture of the town is based on closeness and caring for our neighbors and friends. Our businesses are a big part of our community offering products and services the residents desire and being generous when giving back to the community organizations.
• Schools: The Jackson R-2 School District, St Paul Lutheran, and Immaculate Conception Schools offer fantastic education for students, as well as extracurricular activities that have wide community's support.
• Services: The City of Jackson offers a solid infrastructure across our service departments. Street, water, electric, trash collection, waste water, cemetery, parks and city hall staffs all have dedicated employees who assure our city operates as smoothly as possible. They are committed to improving our services as we grow.

I hope you will join me in selling Jackson, as well as the Southeast Missouri Region. We would love to welcome new residents to be part of our growing city of beautiful homes, parks, schools and churches.

Dwain Hahs serves as mayor of the City of Jackson. He can be reached at mayorhahs@jacksonmo.org.