Missouri jobs surpass January 2001 level, officials say

By Kelly Wiese

Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's economy has turned the corner to the point that its job totals are now higher than they were in January 2001, state Economic Development Director Kelvin Simmons said Wednesday.

Providing a briefing covering the first half of 2004, Simmons said Missouri's economy is strong and moving in the right direction.

He said Missouri is one of 19 states and the District of Columbia that now claim job totals higher than in January 2001, when both Democratic Gov. Bob Holden and Republican President Bush took office. None of the eight state bordering Missouri can make that claim yet, he noted.

Simmons said the timing of the economic briefing -- about two weeks before Holden faces a Democratic primary challenge from State Auditor Claire McCaskill -- was tied to federal unemployment data released a day earlier.

Later Wednesday, Holden's campaign sent out a news release touting the jobs numbers during his administration.

McCaskill's campaign did not return a call seeking comment.

The department pointed to federal labor data showing the state's non-farm payroll, when seasonally adjusted, was at 2,740,800 in June, which is 5,600 higher than in January 2001.

Simmons said Missouri has gained 82,800 jobs since July 2003, a 3.1 percent growth rate, which is more than double the nation's average rate.

''Missouri's experienced job growth that is strong and we believe that will continue,'' he said.

For months, Holden and Bush have touted Missouri's job growth as among the best in the nation, while their challengers have said the economy's recovery in Missouri and elsewhere should be even better.

Critics say the economy is still not at the level it was at before the 2001 recession, and newly created jobs pay less and offer fewer benefits than the jobs they replaced.

Simmons dismissed those criticisms Wednesday, saying his data shows otherwise.

He said the state has seen strong job growth across all major sectors, but that the manufacturing sector in particular is doing well, a good sign because it provides jobs with wages 21 percent higher than the state average wage. Tourism also has improved greatly, he said.

While Missouri's unemployment also has increased slightly in recent months, Simmons noted it is still below the national average. Also, he noted, as the economy improves, more people start looking for work. Only people looking for work are included in unemployment figures.

The state overall has 19,000 fewer people unemployed than it did in June 2003.

State Revenue Director Carol Fischer said taxable sales for the first quarter of 2004 were at $15.8 billion, a 5.5 percent increase from a year earlier and the largest year-to-year increase since 1999. She called the figure a sign of increases in consumers' confidence and disposable income.

Simmons said the state must continue its efforts to create high-tech jobs in life and plant sciences and manufacturing to sustain its current economic fortune, and to invest in education to ensure Missouri has a work force trained for new and growing industries.