CAPE COUNTY POSTS LOWEST JOBLESS RATE OF 1990s

The 1990s went out on a high note for Cape Girardeau County, which posted the lowest average annual unemployment rate of the decade in 1999.

Although there was a slight increase in the county's unemployment at the end of the year, the 12-month average was 2.55 percent, well below the previous lows of 3.6 percent in the years 1996 and 1998.

The unemployment rate increased in the county from November to 2.5 percent in December. Approximately 889 were estimated to be jobless in the final month, while 34,844 workers had jobs.

More than 4,000 jobs have been added in Cape Girardeau County over the past decade. In 1990, total employment in the county totaled 30,772, while more than 1,741 were jobless, for a 5.4 percent unemployment rate.

Perry County, which adjoins Cape County to the north, is one of the state's lowest unemployment counties, at 1.5 in December. With a workforce of 11,526, Perry County was under 2 percent unemployment during six months of 1999, and under 3 percent the remaining six months.

Statewide, Missouri carded its lowest average annual unemployment rate in 20 years in 1999, with an annual average of 3.1 percent, well below the 1998 rate of 4.2 percent.

In December of 1999, the state recorded a 2.7 percent unemployment rate, with more than 2.8 million workers on the job, and 77,200 Missourians without jobs. The rates are lowest since 1978.

Statewide, the total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 5,700 jobs in December, according to newly revised data. Most of the increase was due to holiday growth in retail trade, which added 6,100 jobs. Federal government employment was up by 900 jobs, mostly from the postal service. The finance, insurance and real estate industries also grew by 900. Seasonal declines occurred in amusement and recreation services (2,200 jobs), construction (1,200 jobs), and state and local government (1,100 jobs).

Southern Illinois' southernmost four counties all recorded single-digit unemployment rates in December, headed by Massac County, at 3.9 percent. Alexander County recorded 6.6 percent unemployment, with 3,691 people working and only 260 without jobs.

Stable employment levels prevailed in most industrial sections at the end of the year, said Charles M. "Mike" Vessell, labor market economist of the lower 22 counties in the state. In most counties, the unemployment rate equaled or was less than the jobless rate of a year ago.

Statewide, Illinois established a new record in December, as the state's unemployment rate fell for the fourth consecutive month to 4.0 percent, according to monthly statistics released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

The number of people working in the state rose to a new all-time high of more than 6,115,000 in December, with the bulk of the gain in full-time employment.

Holiday hiring boosted retail trade up 12,000 to a record 1,043,600 jobs statewide. Employment in the diverse services sector paced gains producing 28,600 new jobs since December of last year and bringing total jobs in that industry group to 1,827,500. Gains were also posted in business services (17,300), engineering and management (4,600), health services (2,800) and social services (2,900). Total employment Illinois employment in Construction at 247,600 was up 2.5 percent from the year-ago level, reflecting a gain of 6,000 jobs.