MANY JOBS AVAILABLE IN CAPE REGION

Employers are searching for workers.

"Jobs Available," screams one headline in a Southeast Missourian classified ad.

"Eight people needed: Earn while you learn" is another.

All types of positions are available in a number of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois businesses, ranging from nurses, training coordinators, counselors, bookkeepers, chefs and salesmen to construction workers, truck drivers, restaurant servicers and others.

"There are jobs for people in almost every category," said Jack Cecil of the Missouri Job Service Cape Girardeau office, which keeps tabs on employment throughout three counties.

Statistics speak for themselves.

Only 2,143 workers are unemployed in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Perry counties. That may seem like a large number, but consider that the combined work force total is near the 50,000 mark. That translates into about 92 percent employment in the three-county area.

Thus the problem of too many jobs for too few workers is partly the result of the area's low unemployment rate. That problem was aggravated in late August when the work force dwindled due to students returning to school.

"The economy is a little too good right now if you measure it by jobs (available)," said Barbara Larkins, manager of the local Manpower office, which matches employers with temporary help.

Larkins added that low unemployment is a mixed blessing. "There are a lot of companies poised for growth in the area, and they are looking for employees."

The Cape Girardeau and Perryville areas are great for people looking to make moves, Larkins said. "The job opportunities are there."

Manpower Inc. conducts employment outlook surveys on a quarterly basis.

Among the companies interviewed for the Southeast Missouri fourth quarter outlook, 23 percent say they will add to their payrolls through October, November and December. Sixty-four percent think no adjustments will be likely, and only 10 percent anticipate layoffs.

Manufacturers in the Cape Girardeau area have had difficulty filling jobs throughout the past year. Companies like Lee Rowan Co. at Jackson, Thorngate Ltd. at Cape Girardeau and TG-USA of Perryville welcome new job applications.

Officials of these and other companies agree that it has been difficult to find sufficient people in the work force to accommodate their requirements, and they are always searching.

Missouri's unemployment rate was 5.2 percent in August, down from 5.3 percent the previous month, the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reported last week.

There were 148,100 people out of work, which was 4,700 fewer than in July. Also on the good news side, there were 2,825,700 people working in Missouri last month, an increase of 113,900 from a year ago.

Manufacturing was the biggest contributor to job growth in August, with 4,700 more jobs. The greatest manufacturing gains were in electronic and electrical equipment with 2,300 new jobs.

There were 8,800 fewer jobs in the service-producing sector with amusement and recreational services accounting for 2,800 losses.

Local government employment was down by 3,800 jobs, and there were 900 fewer federal government jobs. State government posted no change. The agency said the declines were mostly seasonal and related to employment with public schools and colleges.

The lowest local unemployment rate was 2.3 percent in Nodaway County. The highest was 16.4 percent in Wayne County.

Although totals aren't yet available for all counties, Cecil said the August unemployment rate was up a bit in Cape Girardeau County, from 4 percent to 4.2 percent. A total of 33,118 workers had jobs. With a work force of 34,513, that leaves 1,395 idle workers.

Only 265 workers were without jobs in Bollinger County. The work force there is counted at 4,776, with 4,513 working. Totals in Perry County show 10,050 people in the work force, with 9,565 at work, leaving 485 without jobs.

Unemployment increased in Illinois in August to 6 percent, up from 5.1 percent in July.

Illinois had the seventh-highest unemployment rate among the top 11 industrial states. California, Texas, New York and New Jersey all had higher rates.

"Unemployment edged up in virtually every county across Southern Illinois, said Charles M. "Mike" Vessell, a labor market economist with offices in Harrisburg.

Agriculture, construction, services and recreation continue to provide the most employment action.

Pulaski and Alexander counties continue to report double-digit unemployment. Alexander increased to 12.5 percent in July, up more than two percentage points from the 10.2 percent reading in June. Pulaski County was at 13.1 percent up from 12.5 percent of June.

Meanwhile, Massac and Jackson counties remain employment leaders, with 94.4 and 94.1 percent employment respectively.

Meanwhile, the nation's unemployment rate edged down to 5.6 percent. The Labor Department attributed the decline to strong job growth in service industries and increasing factory payrolls after three months of decline.