Employment picture mixed for companies, job seekers

As 2008 drew to a close with multiple plant closings and layoffs in the Ozarks - not the least of which was the September closure of Willow Brook Foods, cutting nearly 800 jobs - more job seekers are hitting the streets and looking for work.

The latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed Missouri's December unemployment rate at 7.3 percent, and unemployment for the Springfield metropolitan statistical area at 6 percent for the same month.

While the area may not be hit with job losses as hard as larger metropolitan areas, manufacturing companies in particular are still feeling the pressure to eliminate waste in the economic downturn.

Rita Needham, executive director of the Southwest Area Manufacturers Association, warned that people in the manufacturing industry "are going to be cautious" and "somewhat feel they're under attack by the economy."

Richard Stark, Manufacturing Solutions Manager at the Ozarks Technical Community College Center for Workforce Development, agreed that many manufacturing companies are adopting a cautious approach.

"Most manufacturers are in a holding pattern," Stark said. "A few are hiring, a few are laying off. They're wanting to see what's going to happen.

"We're all waiting to see how that stimulus package hits the manufacturing area. I think this is going to be a time when manufacturers are going to be required to focus in on how they're producing product," he added.

New jobs

Stark estimated new technology in development, "especially in the green area," would help create jobs in the manufacturing sector.

Needham said some manufacturing companies are turning to international trade opportunities to survive and increase profitability. "We can no longer just trade in our own country. All of our members, whether they are involved in international trade or not, are impacted by global competition, in pricing or sourcing of materials," she said.

"They may not have a product that is exportable, but they may sell their product to someone who exports it."

SAMA has partnered with other local organizations to conduct seminars on the basics of international trade. The first session was Feb. 5; others are slated for March 18 and April 8.

Meanwhile, a bit of good news for southwest Missouri came Feb. 24 when Texas-based supply chain services company McLane Co. Inc. announced its plans to build a 400,000-square-foot distribution center on Republic's west side. That center is expected to employ about 400.

Elsewhere in the Ozarks, a partnership between Tai Shin Foods USA and Jefferson City-based Heritage Acres Foods LLC, is reviving Tai Shin's pork processing plant in Pleasant Hope, with plans to employ 70 to 100 people by spring.

Employable skills

For jobs in manufacturing, Needham said hiring criteria is unchanged by the economic downturn.

"Being able to have work readiness skills, knowing how to be a good employee, good attendance, participation, having a good attitude, being drug free, being able to work well with others - those things will take them far," she said of potential manufacturing hires.

OTC's Stark said it's important for job seekers to increase their skills to compete in the current job market. "You're going to have to identify the skill that you need, go back to school, wherever that is, and get that skill," he said.

In an effort to help people who have lost their jobs because of the economic crisis - and regardless of which industry those jobs were in - Missouri State University announced in late February that it is offering financial assistance through the Renewed Employability Now Education Waiver.

RENEW is a partial waiver of fees, combined with personal counseling and advisement to help qualified individuals complete a college degree.

To qualify, students must be Missouri residents who have lost full-time jobs since October, and they must be eligible for admission into one of MSU's undergraduate or graduate programs.

In Springfield, $750 scholarships per semester are available for part-time students, while $1,350 scholarships are available to full-time students for the fall and spring semesters. In West Plains, scholarships are $375 for part-time students and $675 for full-time students. Funding is renewable for students who maintain satisfactory academic progress and complete necessary paperwork.

"By providing this scholarship, we will essentially cut in half the cost of tuition and fees for our citizens who have been hit the hardest by the economic downturn," said Dr. Earle Doman, MSU's vice president of student affairs, in a news release.

Matt Scheihing, owner and president of J. Miles Personnel, works with job seekers pursuing mid- to upper-level positions with food manufacturing and pharmaceutical manufacturing companies. Scheihing said the economic downturn has made the manufacturing field more competitive.

"With the state of the layoffs and the employment pool growing, employers can become and have become more selective in who they hire, so they are really taking a longer look and a closer look at the candidates who are out there, " he said.[[In-content Ad]]