Company: Job outlook strong

It's a good time to look for a job in the Shoals and it's going to get even better, based on a survey conducted by Manpower Inc.

Manpower, an employment services company, rates the Shoals employment outlook for the first quarter of 2008 as the ninth strongest in the country.

Manpower surveyed 420 markets nationwide and based its findings on numerous indicators such as unemployment rates, building permits and data collected from interviews with existing industries.

"We look at everything that goes into an economic growth of an area," said Tracy Moore, a spokeswoman for Manpower. "This time of the year, December, is traditionally a slow time for job markets, but it has not been for the Shoals market. There are jobs out there - a little bit of everything.

"The job market is very promising, and with what is on the horizon, the area is definitely on the upward swing."

Topping Manpower's list were Fresno, Calif., Sioux Falls, S.D., Everett, Wash., and Annapolis, Md.

Moore said much of the job growth in the Shoals will come in Colbert County, including expansions at SCA Tissue and North American Lighting as well as construction jobs associated with the mile-long plant that National Alabama is building for its railcar manufacturing facility.

Stacy Ritterbusch, human resources coordinator at North Alabama Lighting, said her company plans to hire 150 to 200 people between now and June. At present, North American Lighting has 125 workers on the payroll.

Ritterbusch sees the Manpower survey as both good news and bad news.

"It's good news for the area, but not so much for businesses because your pool (of potential workers) is going down," she said. "It's great news, but not from a recruiting standpoint."

She said the word is getting out about the Shoals quality of life.

"We have several people moving down here from Illinois from our corporate office because they've visited here and are so impressed with the area," Ritterbusch said.

Of the local companies interviewed, 47 percent said they plan to hire more workers between January and March, based on the Manpower survey. Another 53 percent of the companies expect to maintain their current staff levels.

Moore said job prospects appear best in construction, manufacturing, wholesale/retail trade, education and service industries.

Forrest Wright, executive director of the Shoals Economic Development Authority, said results of the survey coincide with what he has been hearing from area businesses. He said there is clearly a demand for new employees.

"We're working with several existing companies who are wanting to expand, several wanting to hire 30, 40, 50 or more," Wright said. "All of those are good signs.

"Job opportunities are pretty strong in the Shoals right now and it will continue to be so over the next several years. Any community that is experiencing the kind of growth this community is seeing right now will also see growth in the service and professional industries."

Wright said it is important that "we utilize our existing labor force the best we can. Our employees have got to get themselves in a position where they are employable."

"We've have to look at ways to increase our labor force participation," he added. "Only about half of our total population are in the labor force. If we could raise that participation by 1 percent, we could create many more opportunities."

Pete Williams, an associate professor of economics at the University of North Alabama, said there's a reasonable chance that the job market will be positive in the Shoals during the next few months. He bases that on recent economic development announcements in the area and the responses of company managers who participated in the Manpower survey.

"It appears the positive outlook is warranted," Williams said. "We have had some good news over the last couple of years in attracting new industry. We have landed some good companies. That's a good sign for a place where an ongoing weakness in the textile industry has affected our economy for a decade or more.

"We have a fairly wide base economy here with a diversified group of companies. The result of that is that we're not exposed to the same risks that other markets face."

Bernie Delinski can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@timesdaily.com.