As you have already heard, unemployment continues to rise for both Emporia and Lyon County as a whole and local leaders and experts have the answers as to what is causing the increase; however, when it comes to what will halt it, that’s a bit trickier to say.
As KVOE News reported recently, Emporia’s unemployment rate remains the highest in the state for the second consecutive month, going from 5.8 to 6.5 percent between July and June. Meanwhile, the county’s unemployment rate is currently tied for third third-highest in the state at an even 6 percent — nearing levels last seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During an interview with KVOE News Tuesday, Interim RDA President Lyle Butler, Lyon County Commissioner Doug Peck and Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking all pointed to the same factor as a major cause for this, the closure of Tyson Foods, as one of the main impacts. Normally, when a business closes down operations, its impacts are felt immediately after; however, Butler noted this is a unique case as Tyson’s closure did not happen at one single time but rather over several months.
Butler added that Lyon County and Emporia have historically seen upticks in unemployment during this time of year due to normal trends, including the end of the school session and a decrease in college students actively working in the community. He believes that with school now back in session, we could begin to see something of a decline in unemployment; however, he does not anticipate it will be a significant one.
Cocking continued to note that the issues facing Emporia are not unique to the community, as we are seeing a state and nationwide rise in unemployment, which has been heavily caused by economic instabilities at the national level, which is causing a slowdown in progress for many businesses that would otherwise be expanding and thriving.
When asked his thoughts on the state of unemployment currently, Commissioner Peck stated he believes we may be at the peak of the current rise.
That said, neither Peck nor Butler nor Cocking, can say exactly when the descent will begin. That said, Butler tells KVOE News the RDA is consistently working on both long and short-term solutions to the issue by following leads on new potential businesses for the community while also working to help existing businesses expand their operations and, by extension, workforce.
Peck says the county is always ready and willing to lend assistance to those businesses looking to come to the community and those wishing to expand. He adds, however, that the county cannot sacrifice its standards to fill a large need for jobs.
As for the city, Cocking says it is doing its part to help expand businesses and entice new ventures by focusing on factors within its control, namely infrastructure, as has been evident in recent months with several major projects either underway, in development, or recently completed.
Towards the end of their respective interviews, Butler, Peck and Cocking reiterated that while they cannot point to a specific point at which we will begin to see unemployment decline, all entities are highly focused on the matter with Cocking noting that while the unemployment numbers are at alarming levels, job creation and retention has always been a major daily focus for the community. He added that the continued cooperation between the city, county, and community partners will continue to be of the utmost importance as the community continues to weather the storm of unemployment uncertainty in the coming weeks.
