THE WORK FORCE

Good help is getting even harder to find.

The high level of employment demand, which has prevailed for two years running, is expected to continue in Southeast Missouri and the nation.

More than 550,000 pink slips were passed out by U.S. companies during the year, but new hires far surpassed that number. New jobs have been increasing in the nation at an 11 percent rate during the past decade. Latest statistics reveal more than 265,000 jobs in November alone.

As the nation goes, so goes the Southeast Missouri area, where new jobs have also increased about 11 percent during the 1990s, which is evident from statistical numbers compiled by the Southeast Missourian.

The numbers:

In 1991, described by some economic experts as the "last real recession year," the work force for nine area counties, including Bollinger, the county with the smallest work force, to Cape Girardeau, which boasted the largest, stood at 115,626 able to work. Of that group, 106,266 had jobs.

Fast forward to 1997.

The work force for the same nine counties totaled 130,745. Those with jobs totaled 120,205.

Counties included in totals were Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Perry, Mississippi, Pemiscot, Scott, Stoddard, and Ste. Genevieve.

New jobs are continually being created in the area.

A number of new jobs will be created from giant expansion plans announced 1998 -- Procter & Gamble, about 350 new jobs; Two Biokyowa expansions, about 100 new jobs; Lee-Rowan Co., Jackson, about 100 new jobs.

Other large expansion projects announced in 1998 include Gates Rubber Co. which will double the size of the plant and its workforce at Charleston; a $35 million Good Humor-Breyers Ice Cream Co. at Sikeston; a $56 million improvement to the Noranda Aluminum plant near New Madrid; a $100 million power generation facility by Associated Electric Cooperative-Pan Energy Trading and Market Services; and a multimillion-dollar house factory operation at Sikeston.

Currently, about 34,000 workers are employed in Cape Girardeau County. That figure swelled during the Christmas holiday shopping season when an additional 1,000 to 1,200 part-time workers were hired. Large retailers usually increase their staffs an average of 3.8 percent during the Christmas season.

The workforce in Cape Girardeau County stands at 34,394, with 33,392 working, for a 2.9 percent unemployment rate. Perry County, which has also added jobs during the past few years with new and expanded industry, reported a 2.2. unemployment rate recently, with 10,270 workers from the work force of 10,504.

Bollinger County is also under the 4 percent mark, at 3.9, with 4,645 workers employed, and only 189 without jobs.

Total employment in Missouri is over 2.8 million, with unemployment at about 4 percent. More than 65,000 jobs have been created in Missouri during the past year.

Expansions and new locations of businesses tracked by the Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED), were up 55 percent for the state last year.

Unemployment in deep Southern Illinois has followed the state trend by declining in most counties covered in the Illinois Department of Employment Security's southern sector. November and December employment roles were boosted by retail sales activity. Due to good fall weather, building activity has resulted in only moderate construction layoffs, said Charles M. Vessell, labor market economist for the department in Marion.

Jackson and Massac counties continues to record the lowest unemployment rates in the southern portion at 4.4 and 4.8 percent respectively.

Alexander, Pulaski and Union each posted single-digit unemployment rates in November, headed by Alexander at 7 percent. Alexander, the southernmost county, has a work force of about 3,700. More than 3,450 workers were employed in November.

Illinois unemployment has ranged around the 4 percent mark the past few months.