Cape County 'turning the corner' on employment, First Friday Coffee attendees told

Cape Girardeau County's jobs report for September, as released by the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, revealed 114 unemployment claims were made, yielding a 2.2% jobless rate.

These figures represent the lowest data in either category since well before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In October 2019, 107 unemployment claims were registered and joblessness was at 2.3%.

Not counted in any of the data is the number of people who have stopped looking for work.

Kim Voelker, vice president of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, gave a glimpse into the local workforce situation for attendees at First Friday Coffee last week at the Century Casino Cape Girardeau Event Center.

Voelker referred to a recent Project CAPE (Connecting Area Partners for Employment) job event at Shawnee Park Center — attempting to connect employers with job seekers.

"This last iteration of Project CAPE on Oct. 7th, we had a lot of foot traffic; we were very pleased by the number of people coming through and talking to the employers," she said.

"We had several employers who made employment offers that day (and) I think one of them hired seven or eight on the spot. That's a positive outcome. I really think things are starting to turn around. We hope we're turning the corner."

Comparison

Voelker said a Project CAPE event earlier in the year did not go nearly as well.

"We did it the last time at the end of March but we found we were disappointed at the outcome," she said.

"Extra stimulus payments were coming out (then), and we had people receiving extra unemployment benefits (and) we had a dismal turnout of job seekers, which was really disappointing for the employers in the room that day," Voelker reflected. "We had one employer say that he was in the middle of an orientation with a new group of employees and one of their phones went off and (a new employee) said, 'Oh, I just got my stimulus check. I quit,' and walked out."

Reality

Voelker readily acknowledged hiring difficulties remain despite the improved local job statistics.

"We have employers who, right now, obviously, are desperate for people," she said, noting employers are facing labor shortages "that they haven't seen in their work lifetimes."

The challenge, Voelker said, was on display for her not long ago.

"A perfect example: I had somebody in town and was trying to take them to lunch and I drove downtown and thought, 'We'll go here. Nope, it's closed. We'll go here. Nope, it's closed'," Voelker recalled. "I know in food service, our restaurants in the area, some (are closing) Monday or Tuesday, or stop doing lunch because they don't have the people who can service the customer. Which obviously impacts a business' bottom line, its revenue."

Obstacles

Voelker also told chamber attendees certain "barriers to employment" remain.

"I understand in a banking situation, you can't hire people with criminal backgrounds," she said.

"Some may be recovering addicts with past substance abuse issues. Maybe they don't have reliable transportation to get to and from work or maybe they don't have affordable child care. Those are huge obstacles when it comes to gaining employment."

Project CAPE events are supported by, among others, the Cape Girardeau Chamber, Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri, First Call for Help, the Workforce Development Board and Cape Girardeau Adult Education and Literacy.

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