WORK FORCE INCREASES, JOBLESS RATE DECREASES IN CAPE COUNTY

Two new retail businesses opened its doors last month in Cape Girardeau.

"That amounts to more than 100 jobs," said Jackie Cecil.

Two more retail establishments are expected to open next month.

"That could be another 100-plus jobs," said Cecil, who keeps up with jobs and unemployment.

Cecil, of the Job Service office in Cape Girardeau, says the employment picture in Cape Girardeau is improving.

"Our unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percent in July, from June," said Cecil. "When August figures are reported, we expect another drop, and over the next couple of fall months, we may continue to show steady improvement, unless we get hit with some big layoff."

Several areas in Southeast Missouri have been hit with layoff news.

Brown Shoe Company recently announced the closing of shoe operations at Charleston, Fredericktown, Bernie, and Caruthersville. The closings, part of a restructuring plan to bring manufacturing capacity in line with a continued drop in sales, could effect as many as 1,400 workers. The company said the layoffs would take place over the next three months.

More than 34,700 people are employed in Cape Girardeau County.

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

The labor force in the count fluctuates between 36,500 and 37,000, noted Cecil.

Recently released July figures on joblessness show Cape County with 5 percent unemployment, down two-tenths of a percentage point from June.

That was the lowest in the Southeast Missouri region, one percentage point over Perry County, at 15.1 percent. Perry County totals were 1.1 percent down from the 6.2 figure of June. Officials credit hiring by two Perry County manufacturers for the decrease.

"Three big Perry County firms have been hiring steadily the past two months," said Cecil. He didn't identify the industries, but TG-USA and Sabreliner have been advertising for additional workers.

The Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area, one of the lowest unemployment areas in the state, saw its jobless rolls decreased, from 3.7 percent in June, to 3.3 percent in July. Those figures are still high compared to the area's 2.9 of a year ago.

Missouri's statewide unemployment for July dropped to 6.6 percent from a month ago when it was 6.8 percent. That compares to 6 percent a year ago, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said.

The department said recently that total employment in July increased to 2.5 million, an increase of 4,800 from June and up 39,200 from the employment level a year ago.

Director Donna M. White said July's employment rate marked the fifth consecutive month the number of Missourians working has been at the 2.5 million level.

The number of jobless workers dropped 14,800 in July to an estimated 177,400. Although down from the previous month, the unemployment total was 18,300 more than for July 1990.

"Although it is traditional for there to be employment gains during the summer months, the employment gains recorded in July appear to be more substantial that what the state would normally experience," she said. "It's too early to forecast that recessionary conditions have ended, but there are signs that the economy is headed in the right direction."

Iron and Washington counties had the highest unemployment rate of 17.8 percent each. The lowest jobless rate was in Scotland County, at 2.3 percent.

Southern Illinois benefited by good weather and new retail stores during the month.

"The weather was good, and construction continued on mall, highways and homes," said Charles M. Vessell, labor market economist for the Illinois Department of Employment Security at Harrisburg. "Staffing of new retail stores offset some of the temporary layoffs in the manufacturing sector."

Although the employment rate in Alexander County was only 83.5 percent, this is still 2.7 percent better than the 80.8 employment rate of a month ago. Pulaski County, which had the highest unemployment rate in the immediate Southern Illinois area in June with a 19.4 rate, saw its jobless rate fall by 3.1 percent, to 16.1 percent.

Meanwhile, Union County dropped from the double digit unemployment rate to 9.2, down from the 10.9 of a month ago. Unemployment also showed decreases in Johnson, Jackson and Williamson counties. Only Massac County in the immediate area increased, from 10.9 to 11.4 percent.

Illinois' statewide unemployment figure for June decreased to 6.5 percent, down from the 7.3 percent in June.

Twelve of the state's 13 major metropolitan areas posted drops in the July unemployment rate, largely because of gains in the construction, trade and services industries.

Rockford and the Metro East area of St. Louis posted declines of a full percent while Aurora-Elgin experienced the smallest drop of the 12, a 0.2 percent decrease. Rockford reported a 6.9 percent rate, down from 7.9 percent in June and 8.3 percent in July 1990. The Metro-East area reported joblessness at 7.3 percent, down from 8.3 percent in June and 7.5 percent in July 1990.

Decatur's jobless rate rose 2.1 percent to 11 percent because of temporary manufacturing furloughs. The rate was 7.1 percent last year.

Statewide, unemployment was at 6.5 percent in July, down from 7.3 percent in June and compared with 6.3 percent last year.

Illinois Department of Employment Security director Loleta Didrickson said seasonal employment gains were largely responsible for the drop.

Lake County experienced the lowest unemployment rate, 4 percent, down from 4.7 percent in June and the same as July of last year.

The highest jobless rate in the state was posted by Albion, 20.4 percent, compared with a June rate of 13.6 percent. The nearly 7 percent increase was the largest in the state. Manufacturing layoffs were attributed for the jump. A spokeswoman said one factory employing 1,500 people was shut down for summer vacation and another employing 40 to 50 people shut down permanently. She said another 300 people in neighboring Wabash County have been affected by a smattering of layoffs.

Aurora-Elgin and Kankakee posted all-time record labor forces, with 197,882 workers in Aurora-Elgin and 49,067 in Kankakee. Aurora-Elgin's jobless rate was 7.2 percent down from June's 7.4 percent but up from July 1990's 5.7 percent rate. Kankakee posted a 7.9 percent rate, down from 8.3 percent in June but up from 7 percent in July 1990.

In other major metropolitan areas:

- Bloomington-Normal posted a 4.1 percent rate, compared with 4.6 percent in June and 3.9 percent last year;

- Champaign-Urbana-Rantoul reported 4.3 percent, compared with 4.7 in June and 4.1 percent last year;

- Chicago reported 6.2 percent, compared with 7.1 percent in June and 6.1 percent last year;

- Joliet reported 6.9 percent compared with 7.8 percent in June and 6. 6 percent last year;

- Peoria reported 6.3 percent, compared with 7 percent in June and 6 percent last year; and

- Springfield reported 4.3 percent, compared with 4.9 percent in June and 4.2 percent last year.

Nationally, the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits were down two percentage points in July, but a slight increase was noted during the first two weeks of August.

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: 16.0, 11.7, 15.5.

Butler: 7.9, 9.1, 7.3.

Cape Girardeau: 5.0, 5.2, 5.1.

Madison: 9.8, 11.0, 10.4.

Mississippi: 10.1, 10.5, 10.1.

New Madrid: 9.1, 9.4, 8.4.

Pemiscot: 9.9, 10.5, 9.2.

Perry: 5.1, 6.2, 5.2.

Scott: 10.3, 9.5, 8.8.

Stoddard: 8.9, 8.5, 7.8.

Missouri: 6.6, 7.1, 6.0.

Southern Illinois

Alexander: 16.5, 19.2, 17.0.

Pulaski: 16.1, 19.4, 15.8.

Massac: 11.4, 10.9, 10.6.

Union: 9.2, 10.9, 11.6.

Jackson: 6.8, 7.6, 7.0.

Randolph: 9.1, 10.1, 9.2.

Williamson: 9.1, 9.4, 11.3.

Franklin: 11.1, 13.2, 14.6

Johnson: 10.3, 12.9, 10.9.

Illinois: 6.5, 6.9, 6.3.

Nation: 6.7, 6.9, 5.5.