If conditions in the counties served by the Central Region Workforce Investment Board surrounding and including the lake area are any indication, employment issues could be a challenge in the coming months.
The workforce board has announced that nearly 1,500 jobs have been lost or will soon be lost in mass layoffs or factory/business closings since July 2007, in the 19-county region covered by the board.
Of the 1,479 jobs lost in mass layoffs or closings in the 19-county region, more than 28 percent the jobs or 417 were lost or are slated to be lost in Boone County. Most of the jobs, about 240, were lost in layoffs at Columbia’s 3M plant.
The mass layoff numbers do not include those who have lost their jobs due to individual layoffs or other issues. There were 4,249 people unemployed in Boone County in July of this year, the latest month for which data is available.
Less than two weeks ago, factories in Jefferson City and Eldon announced additional layoffs. In Eldon, Fasco Industries is doing away with the third shift.
“I think most of our board members would agree that Columbia and Boone County have the most vibrant economy in our 19-county region,” said CWIB Chairman Jim Dickerson. “But, even this area is being challenged by the tough economic times. I know in some political circles there is a debate about the condition of the economy. This isn’t a political statement, but anyone who doesn’t believe we’re in very tough times just needs to visit the local career center and talk with some of those walking in the doors who have almost exhausted their unemployment benefits and still have nowhere to go,” Dickerson said.
Nearly 2,300 people visited the Columbia Career Center last month, and the majority of those were looking for jobs, he said.
According to Dickerson, Manpower, one of the nation’s largest temporary employment agencies, just completed the company’s Employment Outlook Survey of more than 14,000 companies for October-December, 2008.
Just 8 percent of wholesale and retail employers expect to hire in those months even with the holiday season included in the quarter. The Manpower report indicated the level of hiring planned in the wholesale and retail sectors in the next quarter is the lowest in 17 years. The survey showed employers have had declining hiring plans for the tenth consecutive quarter.
“I think the career centers CWIB oversees are in for a challenge in helping people find jobs this winter,” Dickerson said. “The signs are all over that tough times are here and may not be going away soon. We are brainstorming with our staff and others to determine what actions the career centers might take to increase assistance to job seekers and employers.”
CWIB oversees seven career centers in its 19-county area. In addition to Columbia, those centers are located in Camdenton, Fort Leonard Wood, Jefferson City, Lebanon, Mexico and Rolla.
Figures were not provided for Camdenton and other offices across the central part of the state.
Contact this reporter at joycem@lakesunleader.com
Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. —
