Many hope Kansas economy will improve in 2012

November 22, 2011|By Jim Grawe | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(WICHITA, Kan.) —

The Wichita Workforce Center is where you'll find Antonio Pinchback on a lot of days, looking for work and trying to stay positive.

"You go on interviews and you really don't have the gas money or a babysitter," Pinchback says. "That takes a toll on you, but you still have to be upbeat because in the end, you are looking for employment."

Trained in the culinary arts, Pinchback uprooted his family six months ago expecting Kansas to be the land of opportunity. But now he heads into the holiday season just trying to put food on the table.

"It gets hard for the kids," he says. "I think we're going to do a lot more family time than gift-giving because of a lack of income."

Pinchback fears the recent announcement of layoffs at Hawker Beechcraft and questions about Boeing's future in Wichita don't bode well for the local economy.

However, economist Malcolm Harris of Friends University still expects job prospects in Wichita and Kansas in general to steadily improve.

He says orders for commercial aircraft are up, and that could mean more work for a lot of local companies that supply parts. In addition, Harris says the expansion of pipelines through the plains will make transporting gas and oil cheaper and make producing it in Kansas more profitable.

"It makes it more worthwile for them to explore, to hire people to work on the rigs," Harris says. "And we're talking about real good jobs here."

In the meantime, Harris suggests those looking for work start to broaden their skills.

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