Booming labor market on horizon for region

smoyers

If you're looking for work in Southeast Missouri, you shouldn't have trouble for long.

A stellar employment scene -- one of the best in the nation -- is in view for Southeast Missouri this spring, based on the latest poll of businesses' workforce plans.

The poll was conducted by Manpower Inc., a leader in the staffing industry.

Manpower spokesperson Peggy Gates tells us that of the companies that responded to the Second Quarter Employment Outlook Survey, that 40 percent will recruit more workers during April, May and June, none expects to cut back and 60 percent report no changes.

Looking ahead, hiring appears likely in durable and non-durable goods manufacturing, transportation/public utilities, wholesale/retail trade and services. Other sectors are expected to remain stable.

Southeast Missouri fared better in the poll than the many parts of the rest of the state. Joplin expects to see 17 percent increase in workforce; Kansas City and St. Louis, 13 percent; and Springfield, 27 percent. Only central Missouri expects a higher increase with 47 percent.

On a national level, hiring is expected to improve slightly over the coming months as 21 states foresee personnel gains, 10 percent project cutbacks and 63 percent are satisfied with current levels. The rest are unsure of their staffing needs.

Happy job hunting.

He said, she said

It was surprising for me to read recently that the disparity in pay between men and women is still fairly wide.

A recent report by the General Accounting Office found that during the boom years between 1995 and 2000, the gap between men and women's managerial-level salaries grew as much as 21 cents per dollar earned.

Some quick math tells us that means if you're a man making $40,000 annually, a woman doing the same job with the same experience is only making $31,600.

Men and woman stay at parity until age 33, but then women fall behind dramatically, the study said.

I had thought the situation was evening out, but it's troubling to hear that it is not. While I know that the reason women's salaries stall at certain benchmarks is up for debate, I have to agree with Bill Morin, who spent 15 years in corporate America before co-writing a book with his wife called "What Every Successful Woman Knows: 12 Breakthrough Strategies to Get the Power & Ignite Your Career."

Morin says that the salary disparity is not all the fault of the system and the corporations. He says -- and I agree -- that women themselves bear some of the responsibility.

"Although progress has certainly been made, there are still many women who do not negotiate effectively when it comes to the subject of money," he said. "They don't know how to move the demands in the right direction and they often come in and settle for lower salaries and lesser positions than men."

Morin says that women also come in saying that pay is not of paramount importance -- that it's the essence of the job and the contributions they can make that count.

It's a nice answer, but a man would say his past earning rate was X, and that he has to have some percentage increase to support his earning levels. Men still tend to be more direct.

Hooray for Hutson's

On Saturday, Hutson's Fine Furniture held a drawing in which they gave away $2,500 in merchandise: a leather recliner, a mattress set and brass lamps.

Hutson's donated the furniture to the student council at Central High School in Cape Girardeau. The students -- headed by Nathan Foley and Jessica Layman -- have been trying to raise $15,000 for the 2002 Missouri Association of Student Councils State Convention.

The convention will bring 1,200 middle and high school students to Cape Girardeau next month. The Hutsons -- all who attended Cape Central -- donated the furniture and then the students sold more than 3,000 raffle tickets for $1 apiece or six for $5.

"It's something we felt was worthy of our sponsorship," said Mary Caldwell, marketing director at Hutson's. "We're very involved in our school and it's something we wanted to do."

Car shopping?

Money magazine has selected seven cars that give the most for the money in categories ranging from the best SUV to the best station wagon to the best compact car. To be a contender, the car had to be practical, provide good value for the money and be good-looking and fun to drive. While the seven choices may not be the cheapest vehicles in their category, Money's research shows they deliver the best combination of value and performance.

Best SUV: BMW X5. Cost: $38,000.

Best minivan: Dodge Grand Caravan. Cost: $24,740.

Best station wagon: Volkswagen Passat. Cost: $28,500.

Best family sedan: Toyota Camry. Cost: $20,825.

Best luxury car: Acura 3.2TL. Cost: $24,700.

Best sports car: Chevrolet Corvette. Cost: $49,706.

Best compact car: Ford Focus. Cost: $15,019.

Scott Moyers is business editor for the Southeast Missourian. Send your comments, business news, information or questions to Biz Buzz, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699, e-mail to smoyers@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, ext. 137.