Lawmakers struggle with unemployment

State representatives working on a committee dedicated to getting to the bottom of Missouri’s employment problems have heard plenty of testimony on what’s happening, but few solutions. Some of those testifying say the state needs to attract in more employers to end the two-year trend of100,000 jobs lost. But Representative Wes Shoemyer of Clarence believes the key to jobs is how companies operating in the state are structured. He points to how a cooperative of locals put together an ethanol plant in hispart of the state as opposed to a big, out-of-state corporation without any ties to Missouri. Some groups told the House Interim Committee on Job Creation and Economic Development it’s a lack of state funds for job lossesin their areas, while others point to a shift in populations.