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A federal Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday morning appears to suggest that nationwide, the economy is improving.
The federal unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 percent in January following the addition of 243,000 nonfarm employees throughout the month.
“Job growth was widespread in the private sector, with large employment gains in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and manufacturing,” the BLS report stated.
Average hourly wages for all private sector employees also rose in January by about 4 cents, according to the report.
According to Cecilia Harry, economic development coordinator for the Leavenworth County Development Corporation, there are some signs that the local economy, too, is on the mend.
She cited a recent report summarizing a year’s worth of her 100 visits to existing businesses in Leavenworth County. Harry said some trends did surface in those visits.
“Overall, the businesses are still reflecting what’s happening at the national level,” Harry said.
The existing business report states that in 2011, 20 of the 100 surveyed companies reported plans to expand their operation. However, she said there is a fair amount of uncertainty also among those in the business community as to the future of economic recovery.
Many of those expansion efforts, Harry said, are long-term ones that aren’t likely to be completed by the end of this year. But the fact that business owners in the county are even planning those types of projects could be considered a sign of recovery.
“It’s a very positive sign,” she said.
Harry said LCDC for its part has tried to help fulfill some of those needs. Also in the report are details of the LCDC report is the fact that the organization was able to assist 26 of the 37 businesses who asked for assistance with tasks like finding qualified workers, training opportunities or grants and incentives. She said she was most proud that LCDC was able to boost that assistance activity in 2011 and added that as those relationships between LCDC and private companies develop, she will be able to provide more assistance.
“We like to think that we know how to get them who knows what they need to know,” Harry said of LCDC.
A federal Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday morning appears to suggest that nationwide, the economy is improving.
The federal unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 percent in January following the addition of 243,000 nonfarm employees throughout the month.
“Job growth was widespread in the private sector, with large employment gains in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and manufacturing,” the BLS report stated.
Average hourly wages for all private sector employees also rose in January by about 4 cents, according to the report.
According to Cecilia Harry, economic development coordinator for the Leavenworth County Development Corporation, there are some signs that the local economy, too, is on the mend.
She cited a recent report summarizing a year’s worth of her 100 visits to existing businesses in Leavenworth County. Harry said some trends did surface in those visits.
“Overall, the businesses are still reflecting what’s happening at the national level,” Harry said.
The existing business report states that in 2011, 20 of the 100 surveyed companies reported plans to expand their operation. However, she said there is a fair amount of uncertainty also among those in the business community as to the future of economic recovery.
Many of those expansion efforts, Harry said, are long-term ones that aren’t likely to be completed by the end of this year. But the fact that business owners in the county are even planning those types of projects could be considered a sign of recovery.
“It’s a very positive sign,” she said.
Harry said LCDC for its part has tried to help fulfill some of those needs. Also in the report are details of the LCDC report is the fact that the organization was able to assist 26 of the 37 businesses who asked for assistance with tasks like finding qualified workers, training opportunities or grants and incentives. She said she was most proud that LCDC was able to boost that assistance activity in 2011 and added that as those relationships between LCDC and private companies develop, she will be able to provide more assistance.
“We like to think that we know how to get them who knows what they need to know,” Harry said of LCDC.
