PERRYVILLE -- Perry County, Perryville included, has a problem most other places in the country would envy -- not enough labor. Of course, loosely translated, that would mean there is too much business in the area.

"We don't like to say that," said JoAnn Sumner, director of Perry County Industrial Development. "It's not too much business. It's too little labor."

Sumner said with the expected growth and expansion of industry in Perry County, the "problem" is expected to get worse.

A few companies employ hundreds of workers and attract workers from the surrounding area to commute to Perry County. Gilster-Mary Lee, Solar Press, Sabreliner, TG-USA and others call the area home, and their growth in the last few years has zapped any unemployment problem that ever existed.

Perry County has an unemployment rate of 2 percent. The federal government considers 4 percent as full employment, so Perryville has a minus 2 percent unemployment rate.

"But the economy is good here and other places," TG-USA Vice President and General Manager Glen Graham said. "In a nutshell, that's why we're here and why we're doing well."

Graham said TG-USA likes Perryville because of employees' good work ethic, adding that his company isn't overly concerned about a shortage of labor.

"It's actually a great position to be in," he said. "It gives the labor force an advantage because it's helpful to them and this is helpful to the community. Our products are made here, sold outside the community but that money comes back into town."

Solar Press division manager Vince Adelman is more concerned about the strain local industry, like his 300-employee company, is putting on the population.

"We need more entry-level people," he said.

Adelman is part of a group concentrating on luring more people to the Perryville area to meet the future demand for labor.

"We have contracted Midwest Research Institute in Kansas City to do a study for us," Sumner said. "We have had phenomenal job growth but the population remains rather flat. We want to see why that is and see if we can change it."

Graham is more confident about labor meeting the needs of the industry: "We have good schools, good city government and the downtown looks good. We'd like to see Perryville grow a little faster, and it will as business grows.

"If we build it, they will come."

Graham said TG-USA is building another addition this year. The company currently employs 675 and that number is expected to increase this year.

Sumner said although Perry County might have a problem with the amount of labor in the area, she still wants new businesses to set up shop.

"We have full employment," she said, "but we're still wise to continue our attraction efforts towards other industry."