Over the last six months, Sumner County’s unemployment rate has been one of the highest in the state. Higher than neighboring counties like Sedgwick, Harper and Cowley.
Sumner County has an 8 percent unemployment rate while Sedgwick’s sits at 7.4 percent. The highest unemployment rate in the state comes from Wilson County at 8.8 percent, according to the Kansas Department of Labor.
Unemployment is a statewide problem. According to December 2009 estimates from the Kansas Department of Commerce, Kansas businesses cut 60,000 jobs over the year — a 4.3 percent decrease in the workforce. Kansas business cut 6,700 jobs in December alone, a 0.5 percent decrease.
Local florist and business owner Brigitte DeJarnett has seen job loss first hand. Her two part-time employees have been unable to return to work since May because business is down so much.
“It leaves me doing everything and I’ve been brining my 3 year-old down here too because I am cutting out my daycare expense as much as possible. So I’m daycare, telephone, deliverer, designer, everything. Even though it’s slow, I’m rushing trying to get everything done because I’m doing it all,” she said.
So what makes Sumner County’s employment rate so high?
“Basically this is due to aviation,” said Sumner County Economic Development Director Janice Hellard. “You would think that we’d be right there with Sedgwick County, but they have a larger employment base and they spread it over more industries, more people, more everything... I don’t think our businesses are in any worse situation than Sedgwick County businesses are, but it’s just that we have a lot of aviation in comparison to everything else that we have.”
Hellard says getting new companies to come to the County has been the biggest priority for her along with helping companies that are already here.
“We have proposals out to a number of businesses trying to bring them to Sumner County. Some are from the state, from what our state recruitment people have brought in, and some we have contacted and been in contact with...on our own,” said Hellard. “We’ve never had that many proposals in the whole time the economic development office has been here.”
Twenty-three new businesses have been started in 2009 throughout the County and though most are smaller, Hellard says it helps.
Converting aviation strongholds to make wind energy work has been a big step in diversifying the work force.
“All of those things take times to develop,” she said.
While workers are on furlough and laid-off they are building skills to help when the economy does pick back up.
“We’re seeing at least that people are thinking about the future,” Hellard said.
On the state level, legislators are hammering out ideas to help communities get back on their feet.
“The number one thing is we have to get people in jobs. That’s the only thing that’s going to turn this economy around so how do we do that? And that’s what we are discussing up here,” said Rep. Vince Wetta (D- Wellington). “Aircraft, agriculture and energy are the three big job creations vehicle we have in Kansas.”
The economic woes can’t go on forever she said and already several businesses are starting to turn things around.
“We’re seeing a few of them start to hire people back. Hopefully there will be people who will find work with the 2010 census coming up...and hopefully the state will allow us to have a casino if we can put that all together, that will definitely help us diversify,” Hellard said.
For DeJarnett, the turnaround can’t happen soon enough.
“I’m not seeing it yet. It’s affecting everyone. I just had a customer in the other day and we were talking about everything and her job...she commented, ‘Well, look at me. Usually when I’m in here I spend about 50 bucks and what am I walking out with?’ and it was a little under $5 purchase. It just trickles down and affects everybody,” she said.
“I’m hoping it will turn around very soon. I don’t think our main street can stand to lose another business and if it continues like this I don’ t know how all of us are going to hold on,” DeJarnett said.
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Over the last six months, Sumner County’s unemployment rate has been one of the highest in the state. Higher than neighboring counties like Sedgwick, Harper and Cowley.
Sumner County has an 8 percent unemployment rate while Sedgwick’s sits at 7.4 percent. The highest unemployment rate in the state comes from Wilson County at 8.8 percent, according to the Kansas Department of Labor.
Unemployment is a statewide problem. According to December 2009 estimates from the Kansas Department of Commerce, Kansas businesses cut 60,000 jobs over the year — a 4.3 percent decrease in the workforce. Kansas business cut 6,700 jobs in December alone, a 0.5 percent decrease.
Local florist and business owner Brigitte DeJarnett has seen job loss first hand. Her two part-time employees have been unable to return to work since May because business is down so much.
“It leaves me doing everything and I’ve been brining my 3 year-old down here too because I am cutting out my daycare expense as much as possible. So I’m daycare, telephone, deliverer, designer, everything. Even though it’s slow, I’m rushing trying to get everything done because I’m doing it all,” she said.
So what makes Sumner County’s employment rate so high?
“Basically this is due to aviation,” said Sumner County Economic Development Director Janice Hellard. “You would think that we’d be right there with Sedgwick County, but they have a larger employment base and they spread it over more industries, more people, more everything... I don’t think our businesses are in any worse situation than Sedgwick County businesses are, but it’s just that we have a lot of aviation in comparison to everything else that we have.”
Hellard says getting new companies to come to the County has been the biggest priority for her along with helping companies that are already here.
“We have proposals out to a number of businesses trying to bring them to Sumner County. Some are from the state, from what our state recruitment people have brought in, and some we have contacted and been in contact with...on our own,” said Hellard. “We’ve never had that many proposals in the whole time the economic development office has been here.”
Twenty-three new businesses have been started in 2009 throughout the County and though most are smaller, Hellard says it helps.
Converting aviation strongholds to make wind energy work has been a big step in diversifying the work force.
“All of those things take times to develop,” she said.
While workers are on furlough and laid-off they are building skills to help when the economy does pick back up.
“We’re seeing at least that people are thinking about the future,” Hellard said.
On the state level, legislators are hammering out ideas to help communities get back on their feet.
“The number one thing is we have to get people in jobs. That’s the only thing that’s going to turn this economy around so how do we do that? And that’s what we are discussing up here,” said Rep. Vince Wetta (D- Wellington). “Aircraft, agriculture and energy are the three big job creations vehicle we have in Kansas.”
The economic woes can’t go on forever she said and already several businesses are starting to turn things around.
“We’re seeing a few of them start to hire people back. Hopefully there will be people who will find work with the 2010 census coming up...and hopefully the state will allow us to have a casino if we can put that all together, that will definitely help us diversify,” Hellard said.
For DeJarnett, the turnaround can’t happen soon enough.
“I’m not seeing it yet. It’s affecting everyone. I just had a customer in the other day and we were talking about everything and her job...she commented, ‘Well, look at me. Usually when I’m in here I spend about 50 bucks and what am I walking out with?’ and it was a little under $5 purchase. It just trickles down and affects everybody,” she said.
“I’m hoping it will turn around very soon. I don’t think our main street can stand to lose another business and if it continues like this I don’ t know how all of us are going to hold on,” DeJarnett said.
