Are Cities and Counties in Springfield Area Laying off Workers? (St. Louis: fit in, sales)

[simplewife&mom]

Well, we went from a deep pay cut a week and a half ago to today having my husband come home in the morning with no job at all. All over the state here in CA from what I can see, cities and counties are laying off workers or enacting furloughs. There are some jobs here with the city of Sacramento, but we wonder if they will be here in the near future if my husband is hired for one. A friend who works for Caltrans (road repairs, etc.) said they are not hiring and the state is on a hiring freeze. But I haven't verified that personally.

My question is, is this happening in Springfield and surrounding towns/counties? Do utilities like water, sewer, and electric companies have hiring freezes like ours do? I know CA is especially hard-hit and we have a bunch of fools running our state who cannot even manage to have enough money when CA apparently is like the 6th (?) largest economy in the world - but is this what it's like in your area too? I'm trying to get a feel for things as we have some big decisions to make and that may involve a move from here.

[Hillman]

Seems every day there is Layoffs in the area.I know my wife just got Laid off from one Job,but she is still working one making $8 an hour no benifits.

This is in Camden and Dallas counties.

hillman

[firebll31]

Jasper and Newton Counties have had large layoffs also. Mostly I have heard of manufacturing-Tamko, Leggett and Platt, and Dyno. My hospital just laid off 160 mid-management, LPNs and some RNs and may not be done yet. I can't imagine a lot of city or county jobs are doing much better. The economy is in the crapper everywhere I guess.

[DeanMoore]

I moved here from the Sacramento area a few years back, and in my field, the hourly pay was similar to Sacramento. I know my business isn't typical, but in the facility I manage, I just hired two new employees and sales are up 7-10 % on top of a 20% increase last year. but similar facilities in the same town are down. go figure?

[OA 5599]

Here are the unemployment statistics for December 2008: Table 1. Civilian labor force and unemployment by state and metropolitan area

The Springfield area seems to be weathering the bad economy decently at 6.0% unemployment, but I wouldn't consider it to be doing especially well. I'm not sure where you are in California, but Springfield does seem to be doing better than every metro area in the state when it comes to unemployment, especially compared to Fresno which has 22.6% unemployment.

Since pay in the Springfield area is low, if your move is primarily get-out-of-California-and-live-somewhere-cheaper based, you'd probably be a lot better off moving to somewhere like Oklahoma (the state is at 4.8%, all metro areas are below 5.0%) or Utah (currently at 4.0% unemployment, with the Logan area at 2.8%). Unless you can secure a job before moving, or have enough money and happen to really like the state of Missouri, you may be off going somewhere with a better job market.

[simplewife&mom]

Originally Posted by OA 5599

Here are the unemployment statistics for December 2008: Table 1. Civilian labor force and unemployment by state and metropolitan area

The Springfield area seems to be weathering the bad economy decently at 6.0% unemployment, but I wouldn't consider it to be doing especially well. I'm not sure where you are in California, but Springfield does seem to be doing better than every metro area in the state when it comes to unemployment, especially compared to Fresno which has 22.6% unemployment.

Since pay in the Springfield area is low, if your move is primarily get-out-of-California-and-live-somewhere-cheaper based, you'd probably be a lot better off moving to somewhere like Oklahoma (the state is at 4.8%, all metro areas are below 5.0%) or Utah (currently at 4.0% unemployment, with the Logan area at 2.8%). Unless you can secure a job before moving, or have enough money and happen to really like the state of Missouri, you may be off going somewhere with a better job market.

Thank you. I've been looking at labor statistics as well, and wanted to combine that with some "word of mouth" opinions from people actually living in the area.

At this time we are trying to stay afloat and find side-work for my husband, while of course applying for full-time jobs. They are few and far between here. There is something to be said for friends and family who can pass the word along that work is needed. We wouldn't have that in a new town. My reason for choosing MO would be to get out of CA's social situations and policies that I do not agree with. Low wages and lower housing costs would balance out so we probably wouldn't be better/worse off in MO than in CA. We are east of Sacramento, between that city and Lake Tahoe. Of all the states/areas I have researched the past few years, I just keep coming back to southern Missouri. The income that we make is secondary to me. In other words, I would rather have my husband accept a lower-paying job in a small country town where we can really become a part of the community, than make a lot of money in a place where we will be unhappy. I have become convinced that southern MO is a place where we would fit in well. The way things are though, it may come to just taking a job no matter where it is and accepting that.

Thank you for the input.

[OA 5599]

I completely agree....money is worthless if you hate where you live or have a job where you don't like. Missouri is a great state, and if you have reasonable expectations about job availability and the local culture, you will likely enjoy it. Of course, we all need some money to live on, and employment can be a problem in the Ozarks...Springfield has a number of places to work, but in my small hometown, a "good" job pays $10-12 an hour. Higher paying jobs are typically limited to education, healthcare, and a few other occupations. What kind of work is your husband looking for?

[simplewife&mom]

Originally Posted by OA 5599

I completely agree....money is worthless if you hate where you live or have a job where you don't like. Missouri is a great state, and if you have reasonable expectations about job availability and the local culture, you will likely enjoy it. Of course, we all need some money to live on, and employment can be a problem in the Ozarks...Springfield has a number of places to work, but in my small hometown, a "good" job pays $10-12 an hour. Higher paying jobs are typically limited to education, healthcare, and a few other occupations. What kind of work is your husband looking for?

I printed out the data you sent a link to. It's very informative.

My husband has thorough knowledge of the HVAC and sheet metal fabrication industry. But, over 12 years ago he hooked up with a guy he knew in highschool who was starting a new hearth products retail store. My husband was there from day one, servicing, installing, and selling hearth products (stoves). They have become like family to us and it was a terrible decision they had to make in laying him off. We just hope the business survives. As many times as I've thought about this happening, when it actually did I found that we both are not nervous but in a way excited to see where this change leads. Everything happens for a reason, right?

That being said, my husband is in the construction trades and that is an industry that is hurting nationwide. We know it's not going to be easy to find good, permanent employment no matter where we go. But God is good.

[OA 5599]

My hometown (Willow Springs) actually has a decent-sized sheet metal fabrication business. They make components for large metal buildings, and roll, press, and paint a lot of sheet metal. I have no idea how the business is doing now or if they are hiring though. I can only imagine how hard it would be to lay off a good employee though, especially after many years...that would be a very hard decision to make and a tough thing to go through with.

I'm in somewhat of a similar situation myself right now. I'm finishing school here in Texas in May and have been job hunting. I have zero desire to stay in Texas, despite the fact that I like Austin. I toyed around with the idea of moving West, found a company in Portland I liked while job hunting back home in Missouri at the same time. Looks like Portland isn't going to work out because the economy there is quite bad and the company has no idea if they'll need anymore people. Things are looking good for a job in St. Louis though....I found a job there at a company I like, working on the kinds of projects I like, and in a great area of town. If I don't get that, I have no clue what I'll do...have to take whatever job I can get I guess. I like the idea of moving back to Missouri though because it feels like "home", and I'll be able to see family more. I also think that everything happens for a reason, and it is exciting to not know where you'll end up next.

I wish you guys the best on moving to Missouri or wherever else you happen to end up.

[FresnoFacts]

Originally Posted by OA 5599

Here are the unemployment statistics for December 2008: Table 1. Civilian labor force and unemployment by state and metropolitan area

The Springfield area seems to be weathering the bad economy decently at 6.0% unemployment, but I wouldn't consider it to be doing especially well. I'm not sure where you are in California, but Springfield does seem to be doing better than every metro area in the state when it comes to unemployment, especially compared to Fresno which has 22.6% unemployment.

Uhmm, I think you misread that.

The 22.6% rate is for El Centro (Imperial County), a strictly agricultural area near the Mexico border.

The Fresno metro area (Fresno County) has a 13.2% unemployment rate. That includes outlying agricultural areas in Fresno County which are currently seeing 25% unemployment (not much farm work in winter).