NATION'S LARGEST EMPLOYER: THE GOVERNMENT; FEDS EMPLOY OVER 3 MILLION ACROSS THE NATION

Southeast Missouri Hospital ranks at the top of Cape Girardeau County businesses in number of employees, with 1,387 full- and part-time workers. Rounding out the top three employers in the county are St. Francis Medical Center with 1,336 full- and part-time employees, and Procter and Gamble manufacturing plant, with 1,300 employees.

Procter and Gamble has the largest payroll in Southeast Missouri at more than $50 million.

Statewide, names like Union Electric, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, JCPenney, Radio Shack and Venture Stores emerge as big employers.

Nationally, a number of companies have thousands of workers -- AT&T of Dallas, Texas, over 350,000; Boeing, headquartered at Huntsville, Ala., 130,000; BellSouth, Atlanta, Ga., 96,000; Bell Atlantic, Philadelphia, Pa., 80,000.

But the nation's biggest employer of all is the federal government, where more than 300,000 workers are hired each year to work in a huge variety of government jobs in more than 200 career fields across the nation and world.

Services provided by government require many highly-trained persons -- doctors, educators, engineers, lawyers, scientists, computer specialists and professional administrators. Government also has thousands of clerks, mechanics, typists and stenographers.

More than 16 millions persons, or about a sixth of the nation's work force, have government jobs on the federal, state or local level.

About three million persons are federal employees, not counting members of the armed forces, making the U.S. government the nation's largest employer.

Government jobs offer a "career ladder" of promotion potential, which results in higher pay.

The Department of Defense employs over half of all federal workers. The U.S. Defense Department spends billions of dollars every year to provide funds for programs of scientific development and research as well as maintaining the armed forces at home and abroad.

The U.S. Postal Service operates more than 30,000 facilities in the nation, providing employment for more than 650,000 people. Three U.S. postal facilities in Cape Girardeau County provide employment for about 250 people.

About 85 percent of all federal employees work outside metropolitan Washington D.C.

Little or no change is expected in the overall level of federal government employment throughout the next decade, according to reports issued by a number of job outlook surveys, including the U.S. Department of Commerce's Industrial Outlook Handbook and the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Guide to Industries, and "Adams Jobs Almanac," a publication of Bob Adams, Inc., Holbrook, Main.

Where the jobs are, however, is changing. Defense department jobs, which currently make up half of all federal jobs, are on the decline because of budget cuts and the disappearance of the Soviet threat.

Hardest hit among defense employees will be blue-collar workers. These workers will not be reduced with mass layoffs, but their numbers will shrink by attrition.

Meanwhile, though, all other federal agencies will be adding more workers.

Competition is intense for federal jobs, as employment for the government is not sensitive to cyclical fluctuations in the economy.

The pay scale for government service jobs, as of January, 1993, can range from $11,900 to $66,600.

Finding out what Uncle Sam has to offer isn't difficult.

"You can contact the Federal Job Information Center nearest the area where you want to locate," said Jack Cecil of the Missouri Job Service Office in Cape Girardeau. "The FJIC will have a listing of jobs available, and how to go about applying for those jobs."

The nearest local office is at 815 Olive Street, St. Louis, 539-2285.

Anyone interested in locating to the Washington D.C. area, may call an automated telephone line, (202)-606-2700. The line provides federal government job information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It offers a menu of recorded information, including job vacancy listings. You can request application and other forms on the line, or talk to an information specialist during office hours.

The job list at either site is updated periodically.

Two of the immediate vacancies from the St. Louis office include a research forester in the Champaign, Ill. area, and a realty specialist at Scott Air Force Base. Also available are various clerical and mathematician positions.

Currently the Washington D.C. lists includes various positions at different pay schedules. A clerk-typist position is listed at about $13,000, and a marketing specialist job is listed at about $40,000.

Vacancies also are available for an agriculture marketing specialist, a building manager, a biologist, an anthropologist, a budget analyst, a clinical nurse, a computer clerk, computer specialists, and engineers, ranging from industrial, electronic to chemical.

The federal government has several different pay systems, the largest of which is called the General Schedule (GS). That covers most white-collar jobs and consists of 15 numerical grade levels and corresponding salaries -- the higher the GS number, the higher the pay level.

Some jobs, however, don't fall under the GS pay system. The Federal Wage Grade (WG) system covers blue-collar jobs in apprentice and journeyman trades and crafts occupations, electricians, mechanics, plumbers carpenters and trade helpers.

Yet another pay scale, the Senior Executive Schedule (ES), covers high level managerial and supervisory positions.

Eligibility for federal jobs is determined by education and/or work experience. With a high school diploma, or three months of general experience, you'll usually qualify for GS2 pay level position. To qualify for the GS5 or GS7 levels, a bachelor's degree or three years of responsible work experience after high school is required.