STRICTLY BUSINESS: NEW COMPANIES, EXPANSIONS ADD 20,000 JOBS IN STATE LAST YEAR

More than 350 Missouri companies located or expanded in Missouri in 1995, creating about 20,000 news jobs and investments of more than $1.5 billion.

The CitiCorp Credit Services expansion in Platte County was the top job creator and Ford Motor Co.'s expansion of its Claycomo plant represented the largest capital investment, says a survey by the Missouri Department of Economic Development in Jefferson City.

The survey included all manufacturing operations plus companies in certain parts of the high-end service industry such as medical services, telecommunications, governmental services and financial services.

The top 10 job-creation projects brought more than 4,500 new positions to the state while the top 10 investment projects totaled more than $950 million.

Most of the top 10 creation projects were in the state's metropolitan areas: five in the St. Louis area, three in the Kansas City area and one in Springfield. But half of the high-capital-investment projects were in non-urban communities.

CitiCorp's expansion is expected to create 1,000 jobs, a Bass Pro Shop expansion at Springfield will result in 700 new jobs and Rural Housing Services of St. Louis adds 600 jobs.

Rounding out the top 10 in job creation: Copeland Complaint Scroll Compressor, Lebanon, 415; Electronic Data Systems, Platte County, 400; MEMC, O'Fallon, 300; GTE, Wentzville, 300; Traveler's Insurance, St. Louis, 300; ACF Industries, St. Charles, 260; and Rock Bottom Brewery, Kansas City, 250.

Perhaps all of those industries should be prefaced with an asterisk. Although not in the traditional economic development sector, development of the riverboat gambling industry made a major contribution in the Missouri economy last year.

Three riverboat developments in 1995 created a total of 3,700 jobs and resulted in investments of more than $177 million. Heading the list of new employment in the state was Kansas City Station Casino, with a total of 1,800 jobs. Sam's Town Casino provides 1,400 new jobs and Casino Aztar Riverboat at Caruthersville created 500 jobs.

Ford Motor Co.'s Claycomo expansion represents an investment of more than $300 million for a new plant to add a pickup truck manufacturing line.

MEMC, which added 300 new jobs, invested more than $168 million in its new expansion at O'Fallon. Tied for third on the top 10 investment projects were those by Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis and LaFarge Corp. of Sugar Creek, each with $135 million expansion projects.

Rounding out the top 10: Bodine Aluminum, Troy, $80 million; Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, $62 million; Chillicothe Lumber, $21 million; 3M of Nevada, $20 million; Orbseal Corp., Richmond, $18.8 million; and Swope Parkway Health Center, Kansas City, $18.6 million.

Again, an asterisk could precede some of those projects, with three riverboat gambling projects accounting for $177 million, led by Sam's Town $117 investment.

More future jobs

More new jobs are expected by the spring quarter, according to a survey by Manpower Inc., a temporary help firm that is optimistic about future job opportunities.

Manpower conducts an Employment Outlook Survey on a quarterly basis. The survey is based on telephone interviews with more than 15,000 public and private employers in 469 U.S. cities.

"Nationally, employers plan staff additions at a faster rate during the second quarter of 1995," said Barbara Larkins, manager of the Manpower office at Cape Girardeau. "A total of 26 percent will increase hiring and 63 percent will remain at present levels."

The figures are much better for the immediate Southeast Missouri area.

The survey of employers in the area reveals that 43 percent plan to add workers during the April-May-June period. Forty-five percent anticipate no change and only 6 percent expect any cutbacks.

"The second quarter of the year often is a time of job renewal as employers emerge from the downbeat winter period," said Larkins. "Three months ago the local outlook was weaker as only 22 percent said they would add workers."

Job opportunities are expected this spring in construction, non-durable goods manufacturing, wholesale-retail trade and public administration.

The survey reflected big increases in labor in the Southeast Missouri and Joplin areas, but only 23 percent of employers in the Kansas City area expected to add new workers and 18 percent in the St. Louis area expected increases.

Statewide, 27 percent of employers expect to add workers while 61 percent see no change.

The survey includes employers in all fields, including manufacturing, transportation, public utilities, wholesale, construction and retail.

The nation's unemployment rate experienced its first increase in three months in January, soaring to 5.8 percent, the highest since last spring and up from the 5.2 percent in December.

The number of jobs declined by 210,000, the first drop in 10 months and the largest in six years. Experts said some of the bad news in unemployment and declining jobs for the month was due largely to the blizzard that closed many businesses in the eastern portion of the nation.

Unemployment could increase

Unemployment totals in Cape Girardeau and Perry counties remained at almost unheard of lows in December.

"Our revised total for Cape County was 2.4 percent unemployment in November and 2.5 percent in December."

That may have been the result of additional retail sales personnel during the holiday shopping season.

January figures are not in yet but could increase due to closure of Tri-Con Industries. Another increase could be noticed in February due to the closing of Shop 'n Save.

Perry County experienced its 1995 low in unemployment during the last two months of the year, with 3.2 percent in November and December. Bollinger County, which is also included in the Cape Girardeau Job Service area, reported 5.6 percent unemployment in November and 5.2 percent in December.

Most counties in deep Southern Illinois experienced increases in unemployment in December, but most were still under the unemployment levels of a year ago. Jackson and Massac counties experienced the lowest unemployment levels, at 4.7 and 5 percent, respectively. Alexander and Union counties remained under double-digits, at 9.3 and 9.1 percent, respectively. Pulaski County reported 11.5 percent, highest among Southern Illinois counties.