JOB NEWS IS GOOD -- UNLESS YOU JUST LOST YOURS

Across America, there is good economic news everywhere you look. At least that's the way it seems when you read news stories about the 20 million jobs that have been added to the U.S. economy in the past seven years.

But if you asked some of the more than 2,000 workers in Southeast Missouri who have recently lost their jobs or learned their factories are closing, you might get a much different economic picture.

In recent weeks there have been announcements of three plant closings in Farmington, one in Cape Girardeau and one in Chaffee. In addition, the hospital at Arcadia is shutting its doors.

But there are those perky national and state statistics that show the amazing growth of the labor force, matched by low unemployment rates (4 percent nationwide, 3 percent in Missouri and Cape Girardeau.

In Missouri, there are about 15 percent more jobs than in 1993. As with many other areas of the nation, the number of jobs in the state has grown faster than the number of Missourians entering the job market. So with plant closings and more new jobs than new workers, how does the unemployment rate stay so low?

For one thing, the unemployment rate was in the 8 percent range in 1993. As the jobless rate has declined, more formerly unemployed workers, in addition to new workers, have found jobs.

While all these statistics about jobs may not brighten the day for those 2,000-plus Southeast Missouri workers who are out of work, there is reason for hope and optimism. Many of those workers already have found other jobs, thanks to the high demand for skilled workers in our area. Still others have prospects for jobs once they are retrained.

The question is whether those who are being forced to switch jobs because of plant closings are going to be able to find jobs that match the pay levels they were used to. In some cases, they will find better-paying jobs. Others will settle for less just to stay employed. And some either won't find jobs or won't even look for one reason or another.

It is neither easy to say nor to hear, but the fact is that the current economic boom makes this a good time to find a job, whether it's because your plant just closed or because you've just entered the job market. Many companies are paying premiums -- hiring bonuses, finders' fees, wage incentives -- to attract good workers.

It's never easy to find out you are losing a job, particularly in the last quarter of the year when the holidays are coming. Here's hoping that the out-of-work workers become positive employment statistics before the year is out.