Our Opinion: Need a job? Stop here first

Just in the past week, reports have come out that Missouri's economic recovery stalled last month, with fewer jobs and a bit more unemployment.

With 7 percent unemployment, our state is fortunate to be consistently less than the nation's average. Still, it's about twice what we had before the pandemic.

So we were excited to see the Missouri Job Center in Jefferson City has reopened. The center, which was located at 1716 Four Seasons Drive, closed after it was damaged in the 2019 tornado. The state's other 26 job centers closed in March due to the pandemic. The state since has worked to reopen them.

The Jefferson City job center, called the Capital City Job Center, reopened at the former Sears location at Capital Mall.

If you're seeking employment, you'd be remiss not to visit this is a state-of-the-art, one-stop center. It's open from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Mardy Leathers, Missouri director of workforce development, said the new facility includes a large training room and extra office space will allow partnering state agencies to provide services in-house. More virtual services also will be offered.

Job seekers and displaced workers can still access services by phone at 1-888-728-5627 or at jobs.mo.gov.

Missouri Job Centers provide assistance to unemployed or underemployed job seekers, including services from resume help to professional development training.

"Everything from understanding how to use Microsoft Office products, to how to speak in an interview, how to dress in an interview - anything that will help prepare them for personal, professional development," Leathers said.

The job centers provide vouchers for up $6,000 to offset costs for training programs, including earning a high school equivalency, associate's degree or other professional training, to qualified individuals.

If you're an employer, the center can help you find talent, post job openings and identify training opportunities.

We encourage anyone who is unemployed or underemployed to stop by the center and see what it can do to help with their job search.

News Tribune