FREE TIME DWINDLES: U.S. `WORKLOAD' DOESN'T END AT THE WORKPLACE

As many as 1,700 workers in Cape Girardeau County may be holding down two jobs.

More than 1,000 workers in the county's work force of 32,564 would probably work more hours, not because their employer requires it, but to make more money.

American workers have become use to a higher standard of living -- and that costs.

It may take two plus a few bucks for a family to maintain that standard in the 1990s.

Barbara Larkins has watched a gradual upswing in the number of people who want to coordinate their available hours into part-time work.

"I'm beginning to see a lot of workers maintaining two jobs," said Larkins, manager of the Cape Girardeau office of Manpower Inc., a temporary help company.

That doesn't mean that people aren't stretching their budget dollar.

"People have to work longer hours to pay for their standard of living," she said.

More people are working in Cape County these days, noted Jackie Cecil of Missouri Job Service. A total of 96.5 percent of the county's work force of 33,736 now have jobs.

No figures are available on how many two-job workers there are in the county, but based on labor bureau survey percentages, the list could top 1,700.

Time off from work is shrinking in the United States.

The trend toward overwork holds true for all income groups, Larkins said.

Manpower, which operates more than 2,000 offices in 36 countries, conducts employment outlook surveys. The company also publishes "Manpower Argus," a monthly newsletter centered on employment and the world of work.

Time off from work has shrunk to just 16 hours a week in America.

"We're working a full month more each year than we did just 20 years ago," said Joy Lewis, of the Manpower Argus.

Lewis said the U.S. "workload" doesn't end at the workplace.

Commuting, shopping, cooking, eating meals, tending the children, lawnwork, minor home repairs and fix-it chores all must be sandwiched into the workweek.

Only the Japanese and East Asians work longer hours than Americans, according to Harvard's "The Overworked American" study. In Germany and Sweden, workers have shorter workweeks and longer vacations, yet maintain a living standard equal to that in the United States, with fewer people in poverty.

However, another survey indicates Americans want to work more, not less.

This survey, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, revealed that Americans are strongly attached to their jobs.

The labor bureau survey, conducted in some 60,000 households, revealed that the traditional 40-hour workweek is alive and well, despite predictions during the early 1990s that it would shorten. Two-thirds of the 60,000 workers surveyed say they work 40 hours a week.

Other findings in the labor bureau survey:

-- Moonlighting is steadily increasing, with more than 6 million Americans now holding two to three jobs. Some 5.4 percent of all employed workers hold more than one job, up from 4.9 percent 15 years ago.

-- Few workers would trade a reduction in income for more leisure or family time. Twenty-five percent of the workers indicated they would like a longer workweek if it meant more money.

-- Flexible schedules are becoming more widespread, but are still available to only 12 percent of full-time workers.

-- One in four workers in the survey has to work Saturdays and one in eight have to work Sundays, although these days are a part of the normal 40-hour week.

-- While most workers are satisfied with the number of hours they work in the workplace, the vast majority of those would like a change to more hours and more money. Only 10 percent of men and 20 percent of women are willing to trade income for more free time.

The 40-hour workweek became standard during the 1930s. Despite predictions over the years that the number of hours would fall the standard workweek still stands at 40 hours.

Part-time work isn't difficult to find in today's economy.

Some companies are going to five or six shifts around the clock, increasing the temporary work market while helping companies control overtime.