STODDARD JOBLESS RATE HOLDS STEADY

DEXTER -- The unemployment level in Stoddard County remained steady during May, according to figures from the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

The state agency said the jobless rate in Stoddard was 4.6 percent in May, the same rate that was posted in April. Stoddard has seen a slight improvement in the number of people working since March, when the unemployment level was posted at 4.9 percent.

Among the six Bootheel counties, Stoddard found itself in the middle of the pack -- some showed slight increases in unemployment while other counties post small drops in the number of people looking for work.

Scott and New Madrid counties posted the best jobless rates for the past month. Scott, traditionally the leader of the region with a low unemployment rate, posted a 4.3-percent level, along with New Madrid.

Stoddard, Mississippi and Dunklin counties each reported jobless levels of 4.6 percent. Pemiscot County's unemployment rate in May stood at 7.3 percent, down only one-tenth of a point from the previous month's level.

The steady level seen in Stoddard County reflects the trend within the state as a whole, said the labor agency's William Niblack. The statewide jobless rate stood at 3.1 percent, where it has been since February.

Niblack said total estimated employment in the state grew by 8,700 from April, reaching 2.8 million in May. During the past 12 months, total employment in Missouri has grown by 74,500, according to Niblack.

Meanwhile, factors that affected jobless rates in some of the Bootheel counties included:

-- A drop in unemployment insurance claims in Stoddard County in the construction and services industries and an increase in claims for benefits in the apparel manufacturing industry.

-- A drop in unemployment insurance claims in Dunklin County in several industries, including construction, retail trade and manufacturing of fabricated metal.