Excellent discussion. In the Midwest, the college towns, like Columbia, MO and Fayetteville, AR, are doing well, because of the availability of an educated, skilled workforce. St. Louis is a horror story.
Columbia, home of MU, has an unemployment rate of 1.9%, which is the lowest in the country. Soybean prices, and other farm products, are at or near record highs now that many producers have gone out of business.
Manufacturing has picked up, but most of the hiring is through employment agencies, temp to hire, no benefits for 90 days, and they make those people work their rear ends off.
Any job opening that pays well above average gets hundreds of applicants. It's an extremely competitive job market.
PB |
