February 22, 2016
Contact: Colene McEntee, Public Affairs Coordinator, 636-949-1864, cmcentee@sccmo.org
St. Charles County, Missouri - Unemployment continued its downward trend in St. Charles County and fell to 3 percent in December 2015, according to the latest, not-seasonally-adjusted figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor.
“The Missouri Job Center of St. Charles County is fielding more job openings than job seekers, which speaks volumes for our economy and workforce,” said St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann.
Based on historic trends, the unemployment rate is expected to see a slight uptick during first quarter 2016 because of temporary holiday jobs that ended and employers who reduced payrolls at the end of the last year, Ehlmann said.
In January 2015, the total labor force in St. Charles County stood at 208,560. By December 2015, the local labor force had increased 2.75 percent to 214,298.
Local unemployment peaked at 9.1 percent in July 2009 and had its highest annual rate in 2009 of 8.6 percent. Back then, the total labor force averaged 197,188 in 2009. It has grown by 17,110 as of December 2015.
“Not only are we seeing fewer and fewer people out of work in the community, but we have also added an additional 17,000 people to the St. Charles County labor force since the recession of 2009,” Ehlmann said.
In this new period of “full employment,” Ehlmann said wages and benefit packages are becoming more competitive as employers compete to recruit and retain skilled and unskilled workers. Moreover, the more college education or vocational training an individual can obtain, the higher chances he or she will achieve permanent, well-paid employment.
“This a great time to look for a new job or start a new career, and I continue to encourage local employers and job-seekers to utilize the excellent services available to them at the Missouri Job Center of St. Charles County,” he said.
For more information about job seeker resources and workshops available at the Missouri Job Center of St. Charles County, please call 636-255-6060 or visit http://www.sccmo.org/Workforce-Business-Development.
###