NEW BUSINESSES, CONSTRUCTION BRIGHTEN EMPLOYMENT PICTURE

Cape Girardeau County's unemployment rate may not reach the lowest level of any county in the state, but month after month, the jobless rate ranks among the 10 lowest in the state.

As expected, the unemployment rate took a moderate dive in August, slipping under the 5 percent rate.

"We were expecting a decrease in the jobless rate," said Jackie Cecil, of the local job service office. "Two new retail businesses opened their doors in August, resulting in 100-plus jobs."

The trend is expecting to continue when September and October totals are revealed.

"Construction continues to enjoy favorable working conditions, and the fall farm harvest is in full swing," said Cecil. "These totals will show up in September and parts of October."

Another factor is that several students have returned to school, noted Cecil.

"This is evidenced by our work force totals," he said. "In July, the work force totaled about 37,000. By late August, it had decreased to about 36,200."

He added that two more retail establishments were scheduled to open in October, including the Shop 'n Save grocery operation which is expected to employ up to 150 people, full and part-time.

He added that the "employment picture in Cape Girardeau is improving.

"Our unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percent in July, from June," said Cecil. "It dropped another two-tenths of a percent in August, and when September totals are released, we expect another drop. Things are looking good unless we get hit with some big layoff."

About 34,500 people were employed in Cape Girardeau County during the August reporting period.

"That figures out to just over 95 percent of the work force," says Cecil.

The labor force in the county fluctuates between 36,200 and 37,000, noted Cecil.

Recently released August figures on joblessness show Cape County with 4.8 percent unemployment, down two-tenths of a percentage point from July.

That was the lowest percentage in the Southeast Missouri region. Perry County was next on the area list with 5.4 unemployment.

Statewide, the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area, one of the lowest unemployment areas in the state, remained at its 3.3 percent level of July.

Some Southeast Missouri areas are beginning to feel the results of some Brown Shoe Company layoffs in Charleston, Fredericktown, Bernie and Caruthersville.

Mississippi County unemployment jumped almost a half percent from July to August, from 10.1 to 10.6 percent. In other counties experiencing the shoe factory layoffs, Pemiscot jobless went from 9.9 to 10.2, and Madison County jumped from 9.8 to 11.3 percent.

The shoe factory cutbacks, part of a restructuring plan to bring manufacturing capacity in line with a continued drop in sales, is expected to effect as many as 1,400 workers over the next couple of months. The company said the layoffs would take place over a three-month period.

Missouri's unemployment rate for August was 6.8 percent, up slightly from July.

Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Director Donna M. White said there were an estimated 179,906 people out of work during August, an increase of about 2,500 from the previous month and up about 26,600 from a year ago.

The unemployment rate in Missouri was 6.6 percent in July and 5.8 percent in August 1990.

White said there were 36,224 unemployment insurance claims filed last month, compared to 38,733 in August 1990.

Employment numbers were down in both goods producing and services producing sectors. Goods producing employers, for example, had 18,900 fewer workers than in August 1990. Services employment, which consistently has shown over-the-year gains, was down about 100 from a year ago.

Overall, estimated employment statewide was 2,465,148 - 58,400 less than July's total and 19,200 less than a year ago.

There were employment gains in isolated areas of the economy during August. Health services employees increased by an estimated 4,200 from a year ago, with private hospitals accounting for half the growth. Local government employment was up by about 3,900 with most of the increase in education.

The highest unemployment rate in the state was 17.3 percent in Washington County while the lowest was 3.3 percent in the Columbia area.

Unemployment rates were up in almost every Southern Illinois county.

"This was due to a number of factors," said Charles M. Vessell, labor market economist for the Illinois Department of Employment Security at Harrisburg.

"We had employment losses in manufacturing plant shutdowns wholesale trade and in most areas in retail trade."

Vessell said the jobless upswing should be temporary in most areas.

"Construction and fall farm harvests should boost our September and October totals," he said. "Another boost will come with the opening of the new Illinois Centre mall opening."

Employment will also receive a boost with the opening of Famous Barr and Montgomery Ward in the University Mall at Carbondale.

Alexander and Pulaski counties in extreme Southern Illinois remains in the 10-highest unemployment counties. Alexander, at 18.4 percent, and Pulaski, at 17.0 percent, were numbers four and five on the high jobless list. Boone County topped all Illinois counties, at 19.4 percent.

Illinois' statewide unemployment figure for August increased to 7.2 percent, up from the 6.5 reading of July.

The nation's unemployment rate in July was 6.8 percent and the ranks of the jobless numbered about 8.5 million. Jobless claims jumped by 22,000 the first full week of August.

Jobless rates,

county-by-county

Following are unemployment rates for counties in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois, with July figures first, followed by June figures and July of 1990 figures.

Southeast Missouri

Bollinger: 11.4, 16.0, 9.1.

Butler: 8.0, 7.9, 7.1.

Cape Girardeau: 4.8, 5.0, 4.5.

Dunklin: 8.8, 8.9, 9.5.

Madison: 11.3, 9.8, 8.8.

Mississippi: 10.6, 10.1, 9.2.

New Madrid: 10.0, 9.1, 8.7.

Pemiscot: 10.2, 9.9, 8.5.

Perry: 5.4, 5.1, 4.2.

Scott: 9.3, 9.6, 7.4.

Stoddard: 8.0, 8.9, 7.4.

Missouri: 6.8, 6.6, 5.8.

Southern Illinois

Alexander: 18.4, 16.7, 17.8.

Pulaski: 17.0, 16.2, 15.7.

Massac: 12.8, 11.5, 10.6.

Union: 10.0, 9.3, 9.5.

Jackson: 7.9, 6.9, 6.7.

Hardin: 8.0, 6.8, 9.9.

Randolph: 9.0, 9.0, 8.9.

Williamson: 10.1, 9.1, 9.2.

Franklin: 13.4, 11.1, 15.2

Johnson: 11.6, 10.3 10.0.

Illinois: 7.2, 6.5, 6.3.

Nation: 6.5, 6.7, 5.4.