UNEMPLOYMENT IN REGION CONTINUES AT LOW LEVELS

Continuing a trend that began several years ago, unemployment in the region again remained extremely low last year.

In November, the last month for which figures are available, the unemployment rate in Cape Girardeau County was just 2.5 percent, with 33,359 of 34,210 people in the labor force working for a total of 851 people unemployed.

The Cape County figure was less than half of the 5.3 national unemployment rate for that month. The county also bested the statewide unemployment rate of 3.2 percent.

All data were compiled by the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

The heavy influx of new retail outlets and restaurants has helped keep the area's workforce busy.

"We have had so much retail and so many restaurants come in that anyone willing to take those kinds of jobs will find work," said Jack Cecil of the Missouri Job Service Office in Cape Girardeau.

But are there jobs available for those with some skills?

"It depends on the skills that they have," Cecil said. "If they are looking for manufacturing work, sure; all the manufacturers from Perryville to Cape are looking for people.

"If an individual is looking for that kind of work, has had some experience and is not a job-hopper, they should not have a problem."

However, Cecil said high-paying professional managerial jobs are hard to come by in the area and there is little turnover in such positions.

For the 12-month period spanning November 1994 to last November, Cape County had an average unemployment rate of 3.5 percent. The disparity between that figure and the rate for November can be attributed to the increase in retail hiring around the holiday shopping season.

For the year, Perry County was close behind at 4.3 percent, Scott County at 5.8 percent, Bollinger County at 6.4 percent and Stoddard County at 7.8 percent.

Cecil said the situations in Perry and Cape counties are similar. "They are going great-guns, and basically have the same problem we have here -- more job openings than workers," he said.

Due to jobs outnumbering available workers, Cecil said there has been some increase in wages in the region as employers compete for labor. Employers still only offering minimum wage to start are chief among those complaining they can't find workers, he said.

"If you notice, a lot of fast-food restaurants even have signs out saying they pay $5 an hour," Cecil said.

While the retail boom has been an employment boon, Cecil said the area needs other types of jobs. "We really, really do need some new manufacturing jobs," he said. "I would hope that if we get those it would bring more of a labor pool into the area."

The trend of low employment is expected to continue.

"As far as employment and security goes, we had a busy year," Cecil said. "Of course, we always like to see more people looking for work get registered with Job Service," said Cecil, who pointed out the service is free.