JEFFERSON CITY -- The transition from summer to fall, at least in terms of job seasons, is said to account for a significant drop in the unemployment rate for St. Francois County in August, sources said.
The rate went from 8.5 percent in July down to 7.6 percent in August, but part of that drop results from the size of the county's work force also decreasing.
Figures made available through the Missouri Department of Economic Development showed the number of unemployed falling from 2,002 in July to 1,762 in August. That is a decrease of 440 on the jobless rolls.
In that same period, however, the number of St. Francois County residents who were employed also dropped from 21,658 to 21,506. The unemployment rate dropped not because more people had jobs, but because there were fewer people in the county's available labor force, according to the state figures.
The state's charts show St. Francois County had a labor force of 23,660 in July but only 23,268 in August. That is nearly 400 fewer available workers, which significantly impacts the unemployment calculations.
There are two factors which sources say most impact the number of people in the available labor force. One sector are those students, both high school and college, who work through the summer but return to classes in August and September.
Another element is the people who simply drop out of the labor force because they quit seeking jobs or they retire. One analyst noted earlier this year that there have been increasing numbers of people who have given up since being out of work for as much as two years during the current slump in the economy.
The unemployment rate for the state remained steady in August at 5.8 percent, according to the latest figures, but most counties adjacent to St. Francois County showed significant drops in their rates.
000200000669000007BA663,The rate in Washington County went from 9.9 percent in July to 8.6 percent in August. That county did show more people with jobs but also had a lower number in the available work force than in the preceding month.
Fewer people in Ste. Genevieve County had jobs in August, but the jobless rate there also took a dip from 5.9 percent in July to 5.5 percent in August. The labor force decreased by more than 200 people.
The number of people from Perry County who were working went up in August and the jobless rate dropped from 3.4 percent to 3 percent. The size of its labor force actually increased by seven people, according to the state's figures.
The experience in Madison and Iron counties was similar to that of St. Francois County, fewer workers available, more jobs and a lower unemployment rate. The rate in Madison County dropped from 8.4 percent to 7.4 percent between the two reporting periods while in Iron County it dropped from 8.7 percent to 8.2 percent.
Based on the state figures, St. Francois County had 1,001 fewer workers in the available work force in August than it did for a similar period of 2002. It also had about 900 fewer on the job while about 100 fewer were unemployed in August than for the similar month of 2002.
Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates take into account such factors as students who are in the available labor force for only certain periods of the year. Those rates also take into consideration other seasonal workers such as those involved in tourism.
The seasonally adjusted rate is reported only at the state level and is not broken down by counties as is the basic unemployment rate.
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