Springfield, Missouri unemployment up for May

Rising four-tenths of 1 percent, Missouri's jobless rate increased from 4.7 percent to 5.1 percent for May on a seasonally adjust basis. The rate is still a half point lower than the nation's unemployment rate of 5.6 percent, according to a Missouri Department of Economic Development news release.

On a not-seasonally-adjusted basis, Missouri's unemployment rate increased by two-tenths of a percent to 4.8 percent in May, while the nation's unadjusted rate fell one-tenth of a percent to 5.3 percent in May, the release said.

The unadjusted rate for Greene County nudged up to 3.3 percent in May, up from 3.1 percent in April. Christian County remained steady at 3.1 percent and Webster County jumped from 3.1 percent in April to 3.4 percent in May.

The seasonally adjusted rate accounts for seasonal activities such as the start and close of the school year, Christmas holiday and weather patterns, said Paul Reichart, research analyst with the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center

According to MERIC analyses, a possible contributing factor to Missouri's rising unemployment rate is "more workers recognizing that there's jobs out there, so they get in the labor forces and they don't find jobs immediately," Reichart said in a news release. "The immediate effect is to increase unemployment, a phenomenon that has occurred in previous economic recoveries."

The seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment number of 2,713,900 was 100 jobs higher than April. Compared to May 2003, the seasonally adjusted employment level is up by 37,300 for the last 12 months.

For May, construction and manufacturing added 1,500 jobs, while professional and business services grew by 3,900 jobs. There were decreases, however. Financial activities went down by 1,100; education and health services dropped by 1,200; leisure and hospitality services decreased by 1,600; and government jobs, including public schools and colleges dipped by 1,700.

State survey numbers

A Manpower survey released in June showed that Springfield employers expected hiring at an active pace in the third quarter of this year. In the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, 30 percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire additional employees from July to September, while 3 percent intend to reduce staffing levels. Another 67 percent of companies surveyed expect to maintain current Manpower's staff levels.

"For the Springfield area, hiring plans are similar to those reported in the second-quarter forecast, when 33 percent of the companies interviewed predicted an increase in hiring activity, while 7 percent planned to decrease the hiring pace," said Manpower spokesperson Sharon Walker, in a news release. "A year ago at this time, employers revealed weaker hiring intentions when 20 percent of companies surveyed thought employment increases were likely and none intended to cut back."

For the third quarter, job prospects seem best in nondurable goods manufacturing, transportation/public utilities, wholesale/ retail trade, education, services and public administration, according to the survey.

Employers in construction plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in other sectors is expected to remain unchanged.

Across the nation

The national results of the Manpower Employment Outlook survey revealed that U.S. employers continue to show optimism in their hiring plans in the third quarter. Of the 16,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 30 percent expect to add to their payrolls during the quarter and 6 percent predict a decline in staffing levels. Also, 59 percent of employers surveyed expect no change in job prospects, and 5 percent are unsure of what to expect in their hiring expectations.

Complete results of the national Manpower Employment Outlook Survey is available online at www.manpower.com.