University Daily Kansan, March 29, 1984
CAMPUS AND AREA
Page 6
Kansas' economy will be returning to normal — slowly State economy still ill while U.S. recovers Second Quarter Employment Outlook * Return to school causes drop in unemployment
By ROBIN PALMER Staff Reporter
Kansas probably will not revel in the economic improvement that has been predicted for the rest of the nation this year, a KU research economist said.
Rich Sexton, the economist, said Kansas would recover from the recession more slowly than the rest of the nation.
He predicted that the state's economy would not be as healthy as it had been before the recession until the second half of 1985.
Because the state's key industries are dependent on the health of the national economy, Kansas followed the economic recession in 1980, he said.
BUT IN 1983, when national employment figures rose, employment in Kansas did not follow the national increase. Sexton said. This reflected the slow recovery pace that Kansas was following, he said.
Liz Hill, a public relations consultant for Manpower Inc., which is a private polling firm, said that unlike Kansas, the picture for the nation called for a number increase in the number of people that will be hired in April, May and June.
According to the employment outlook survey compiled by Manpower, 30 percent of the 11,400 firms in the nation that responded to the survey said that the number in the workforce would be increased in the next three months.
In the five years that Manpower has conducted its survey, that is the largest percentage of industries to say that they planned to hire more employees.
Manpower surveys the 1,400 firms, who own in all different industries, which yearly report.
DESPIE T A FAVORABLE national outlook, Sexton said the lack of growth in the Kansas economy had caused problems.
The construction industry is suffering, he said, because the industry is not so well trained.
And the lack of manufacturing jobs, and the slow economic recovery reduces the demand for residential construction and expansion, he said.
Ed Mills, manager of the Job Service Center, 833 Ohio St., also said that despite seasonal hirings, Kansas and Lawrence were coming out of the recession slower than most states and cities.
One of the state's most important industries, agriculture, may put Kansas behind other states. Sexton said, "It's hard to do worse than any other commodity."
"The problem is that we're not moving out with any degree of strength," he said.
ALTHOUGH 48 PERCENT of the Kansas City industries that participated in the survey plan to hire 10,000 people for deployment predictions are much lower.
However, higher beef prices might improve the Kansas economic picture because beef provides 45 percent of Kansas' farm income. he said.
Hill said 17 percent of the businesses surveyed in Lawrence would increase employees, and no company planned on reducing its staff.
The remaining 83 percent that participated in the survey will maintain their present number of employees, she said.
(Percent of businesses surveyed)
Increase current workforce 48 17 30
Maintain current workforce 43 83 63
Reduce current workforce 9 0 5
Unable to predict 0 0 2
*Percentages are based on a survey of 11,400 firms from 11 industries nationwide. Each was asked whether it expected to hire, maintain or reduce its current workforce.
Source: Manpower Inc.; Employment Outlook Survey
Joe Flannery, manager of Weaver's Inc. Department Store, 901 Massachusetts St., said that employment in his retail store would remain the same.
JOHN SCANLAN, president of Kansas Construction Company, 210 Perry St., said the strength of the construction industry was in residential work. He said his company would not hire more workers and it usually hired at this time of the year.
Mills said manufacturing losses in Lawrence and other areas would not follow the national trend because Lawrence did not have the manufacturing industries that were experiencing surges of growth.
Harris said his company did both residential and commercial construc-
However, Bo Harris, owner of Harris Construction Co. In, 1611 St. Andrews St., said, "We will increase our workforce partly because of the season and secondly because it has been a good comparison to the last four or five years."
Those growing the fastest are the dense-related and automotive industries.
Lawrence manufacturing is limited to food, lumber, printing and publishing, electrical supplies, paper and machinery, he said.
Lawrence's largest manufacturing industry is printing and publishing, and some growth has occurred there — but there are still many young unemployment figures. Mills said.
The Manpower survey predicts growth in many industries across the globe.
EMPLOYMENT INCREASES are expected in construction, manufacturing and wholesale and retail industries, the Manpower survey
The survey shows that in all three industries 40 percent of the employers intend to increase their staffs, and only 5 percent intend to reduce their staffs.
Construction employers plan to increase staff by 45 percent within the following three months, which is an 11 percent increase over last year's predictions.
Of the manufacturers of durable goods, 37 percent said they would hire employees this year. Five percent plan to decrease their employee staff.
By ROBIN PALMER Staff Renorter
KU employees and public school employees returning to their jobs in January forced February's unemployment rate down slightly to 3.9 percent from January's 4 percent, the Current Job Service Center said yesterday.
Ed Mills, the manager, said the Douglas County unemployment rate fell slightly because the work force increased by 700 people during February, while the number of unemployed remained at 1,300.
The number of people in the work force is determined using the number of paychecks written from about Jan. 12 to about Feb. 12. The unemployment rate is by dividing the number in the work force by the number of unemployed.
The state farming and manufacturing industries caused the state's unemployment rate to drop from 4.8 in January to 1.4 percent in February.
THE NUMBER OF paycheques issued to government employees, including KU employees, increased by 400 in workers in service-related job roles.
More than 1 million Kansans were employed during February, and more than 50,000 were unemployed. But the number of 15,300 people from the January figure
The increase in employment across the state is attributed to the gain of 2,708 new jobs during January and February at facturing and farm employment. Mills
said.
However, he said that he did not think the drop indicated improvement in the economy because the figures were misleading.
Increases in manufacturing employment were been isolated and did not affect Lawrence or the state as a whole.
NO INCREASES IN manufacturing were reported in Douglass County.
I just haven't seen any movement to integrate improvement in manu- *acro-*
Also, Lawrence is different because many of its important industries operate on coal.
However, the Lawrence employment rate was stabilizing and would change only slowly.
March unemployment figures would probably reflect small increases in the construction industry because of predicted increases in the demand for construction during the next several months.
Service-oriented jobs, including those in hotels and restaurants, may increase in March and April because the spring and summer months are the busiest for these businesses. Mills said. By the time the April figures are released, declines in manufacturing employment will be evident, contrary to state and national predictions. This decline will probably offset any increases in employment for that month, he said.
"What bothers me, is the fact that traffic is dropping here," Mills said, "but job demand isn't increasing."
Yes, we're up to our delighted noses in lovely roses. And that means good news for YOU—or that special person you loved a dozen, a dozen, Carry 'em away at a very special price.
$1700 per lovely dozen
Chinese Film Series-(2)
“Snake in the Eagle's Shadow”
蛇形刁手
Chinese Kung-Fu Movie
starring Jacky Chan
Special only for "Roses Day"
成龍
BIOLOGY MAJOR?
[co-starred with Burt Reynolds & Roger Moore in "The Cannon Ball Run"]
- Date: Sun., April 1st, 1-3 p.m., 3:30-5:30 p.m.
This is the LAST CHANCE to sign up for the Tour of the Med Center on April 6 and the Canoe Trip to Big Sugar River on April 13-14. Please come to the Biology Club meeting, Friday, March 30 at 4 p.m., Sunflower Room, 3rd floor, Kansas Union.
Also—Those interested in whipping the faculty in a softball game on April 29 come on by . . .
PAID FOR BY THE STUDENT SENATE ACTIVITY FEE
- Place: Dyche Auditorium
- Admission: member-free, non-member $1
Use Kansan Classified.
WHO WILL BE NEXT? KU WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME
1970: Connie Coleman Cora Downs Maude Ellsworth Margaret Hughes Fraley Jeanne Stump Esther Twente
1984
1971: Helen Gilles Joan McCann Emily Taylor Beatrice Wright
1972: Martha Peterson Marilyn Stokstad Nita Sundbye Deanell Reece Tacha
1973: Wealthy Babcock Florence Black Beth Schultz Louise Wheeler
1974: Hazel Anderson Frances Degen Horowitz Irene Nunemaker
1975: Barbara C. Etzel May Grant Mary Morrill Litchfield
1976: Evelyn Hitchcock Aldin Karen R. Keesling Kala Mays Stroup Mary Turkington
1977: Beverly Boyd Kathleen C. Doering (post Frances Ingmann Bonnie Ritter
1977: Beverly Boyd Kathleen C. Doering (posthumous) Frances Ingemann Bonnie Ritter
1978: Eleanor Meyers Burchill Gisela A.M. Dreschoff Miriam Stuart Green Janice Kay Mendenhall Caryl Kelley Smith
1979: Barbara M. Craig Elizabeth Sherbon Marian Washington Leona Baumgartner M. Evelyn Swartz
1980: Evelyn DeGraw Alexandra Mason Jean Pyfer Katherine Giele Vivian McCoy
1981: Judith M. LeBlanc Bette Krenzer Irene Peabody Helen Foresman Spencer Ann Victoria Thomas Patricia Wolfe
1982: Anita Herzfeld Rita Napier Karlyn Kohrs Campbell Marilyn Ainsworth Marjorie Whitney
1983: Margaret Byrne Margo Gordon Genevieve Hargiss Aletha Huston Eleanor Malott
Women's Recognition 1984
April 19, 8 p.m. Alderson Auditorium, Union
Sponsored by Commission on the Status of Women Paid by the Student Activity Fee
(