Trendsights Newsletter

Missouri Top Openings
Missouri is projected to have more than 381,000 total job openings each year between 2023 and 2025. Total openings include growth openings, exit openings, and transfer openings. Of the 20 occupations with the top job openings in Missouri, most are in the major occupation groups of Food Preparation and Serving Related, Office and Administrative Support, and Transportation and Material Moving. The average wage for all occupations in Missouri in 2022 was $54,520.
Occupational Outlook: Home Health Aide
Home health and personal care aides monitor the condition of people with disabilities or chronic illnesses and help them with daily living activities. Home health and personal care aides work in a variety of settings, including clients’ homes, group homes, and day services programs. Home health and personal care aides typically need a high school diploma or equivalent, but some positions do not require it. In Missouri, the median annual wage for home health and personal care aides was $29,421 in 2023, with a total employment of 88,855.
In-Demand Information Technology Skills
Information Technology (IT) occupations are some of the most in-demand jobs in Missouri. Computer programming, developing, and support occupations employed more than 87,000 people at an average wage of $88,390 in 2022. Employment in IT occupations is projected to grow 14.2 percent from 2020 to 2030. In the last year, there were over 45,000 online job ads in Missouri for selected IT occupations, most noting the need for applicants to be proficient in various computer programming languages. Click on the link above to learn more about the skills needed for these in-demand occupations.
Missouri Short-term Occupational Projection 2023-2025
Missouri occupational projections for 2023-2025 estimate employment in the state to grow by 2.3 percent over the period. The occupational groups projected to have the fastest two-year growth rates are Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations, Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations, and Healthcare Support Occupations.
Missouri Business Index Rises
Missouri’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for March was 53.8, increasing 7.2 points from February, according to the monthly Mid-America Business Conditions Survey conducted by Creighton University. The Mid-America Business Conditions Index has hovered around growth neutral for the past four months, gaining 0.5 points in March to 49.6. Economists consider the index a key economic indicator. It measures such factors as new orders, production, supplier delivery times, backlogs, inventories, prices, employment, import orders, and exports. Typically, a score over 50 indicates an expansionary economy while a score below 50 forecasts a sluggish economy.
Online Job Postings for March 2024
There were 65,910 new job postings in Missouri in March 2024, according to data from Lightcast™. This was higher than the 63,920 postings in February 2024. The St. Louis region had 1,500 manufacturing industry job postings in March 2024, followed by the Kansas City (860), Central (340), North (220), and Southwest (170) regions. Click on the link above to view more job postings for Missouri and its regions.
February Job Ad Comparison
Job postings in Missouri decreased by 9 percent from February 2023 to February 2024. In February 2024, there were 62,810 online job postings compared to 68,970 in February 2023. The industries with the most job postings were Health Care and Social Assistance, Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services, and Retail Trade.
Middle Skills: Installation, Maintenance and Repair Occupations
The Installation, Maintenance, and Repair major occupation group has over 97 percent of its employment in middle-skill occupations. The top three occupations with the most projected annual openings in this group are General Maintenance and Repair Workers, Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics, and First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers. These three occupations combined are projected to have over 5,700 total job openings each year through 2030. Installation, Maintenance and Repair occupations are found in many industries, with 12.8 percent of employment being found in the Retail Trade industry.
Career Pathways: Hospitality
Career Pathways are groups of occupations within a career field. Occupations within a pathway share common skills, knowledge, and interests. The pathways show examples of how different levels of training or education can help provide opportunities for career advancement within an industry sector. Hospitality represents 12.3 percent of total private sector employment, employing over 297,000 workers in more than 15,000 businesses in 2022. Quality assurance, customer service, cost control, marketing, and sales, as well as knowledge of operations and procedures are some of the skills that may be necessary for success in the Hospitality pathway. Learn more about possible pathways in fields such as sales and marketing, food service, and entertainment in this report.
Census Releases 2023 County and Metro Population Estimates
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released 2023 population data for U.S. counties, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, and Puerto Rico. These estimates reflect population changes between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2023. In Missouri, the population of Lincoln County grew the fastest between 2020 and 2023, increasing by 8.1 percent. Other counties with above average growth rates included Wright (6.5%), Webster (6.3%), Benton (5.8%), Warren (5.8%), and Christian (5.8%). Dekalb County decreased by 14.7 percent, or 1,700 residents, during this time.
Missouri Businesses By Size
Tracking Missouri businesses by employment size can be used to identify which size of business employs the most people, how Missouri businesses range by the size of employment and average wages, and what is the typical size of businesses by industry. There were 217,818 private sector employers in Missouri in the first quarter of 2022. Small businesses comprised a majority of this total, with 79.8 percent of Missouri businesses employing fewer than 10 people. Firms employing 1 to 49 workers made up 96.4 percent of all businesses in Missouri.
MU Extension 4-H Agribusiness Workforce Survey
Missouri's agricultural, food, and forestry businesses are vital to the state’s economy. MU Extension requests your help sharing a workforce needs survey with agribusinesses in your area. Survey results will support Extension 4-H career initiatives designed to support the talent needs of these businesses. Please help us spread the word with Missouri agribusinesses – such as food producers and processors, sawmills, or related suppliers. The survey is quick, anonymous and will make a big difference. It is open through mid-April.
January 2023 to 2024 Job Ad Comparison
Job postings in Missouri decreased by 22 percent from January 2023 to January 2024. In January 2024, there were 67,240 online job postings compared to 86,240 in January 2023. The industries with the most job postings were Health Care and Social Assistance, Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services, and Retail Trade.
Women in the Workforce
Women make up an important part of Missouri’s workforce. There were more than 1.39 million women in Missouri’s workforce (in both private- and public-owned establishments) in 2022, making up 50.5 percent of total Missouri employment. The percentage of women in the workforce has remained steady over the last 10 years. Occupations, the type of employment, and pay can vary for men and women. Learn more about women in Missouri's workforce in this report.
Career Pathways: Manufacturing
Career Pathways are groups of occupations within a career field. Occupations within a pathway share common skills, knowledge, and interests. The pathways use industry-recognized credentials and are examples of how different levels of training or education can help provide opportunities for career advancement. Missouri has high employment concentrations in Manufacturing, particularly in Leather & Allied Products, as well as Transportation Equipment. Wages in Manufacturing averaged $70,322 in 2022, higher than the $54,520 state average for all industries.
Missouri's GDP Growth, 3rd Quarter 2023
Gross domestic product (GDP) is the broadest measure of an area’s economic activity. In the third quarter of 2023, real GDP increased in all U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Growth ranged from 9.7 percent in Kansas to 0.7 percent in Arkansas. Missouri’s GDP grew by 4 percent.
Occupational Outlook: Electrical Line Installers and Repairers
Electrical power-line installers and repairers install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems. Electrical power-line installers and repairers encounter serious hazards on the job, including working with high-voltage electricity, often at great heights. The work also can be physically demanding. Most electrical power-line installers and repairers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. The median wage for this occupation in Missouri was $39.51 an hour and $82,180 annually in 2022.
Online Job Postings for January 2024
There were 67,240 new job postings in Missouri in January 2024, according to data from Lightcast™. This was higher than the 56,520 postings in December 2023. The St. Louis region had 1,700 Manufacturing industry job postings in January 2024, followed by the Kansas City (1,060), Central (300), North (260), and Southwest (180) regions. Click on the link above to view more job postings for Missouri and its regions.
Career Pathways: Information Technology
Career Pathways are groups of occupations within a career field. Occupations within a pathway share common skills, knowledge, and interests. The pathways use industry- recognized credentials and are examples of how different levels of training or education can help provide opportunities for career advancement. Most Information Technology occupations require proven skills beyond a high school diploma. A variety of pathways are available to enter and advance in the Information Technology field. Some industry-recognized certifications that may launch a career in Information Technology, such as CompTIA or Microsoft Technology Associate, may be obtained in as little as three months. Explore some of the possible pathways in this brief.
Language Use in Missouri
It is valuable to track language diversity in Missouri to help inform the public, businesses, agencies, organizations, and other stakeholders of the unique language diversity across the state. Ninety-four percent of Missouri residents speak only English. The remaining six percent have a primary language other than English but include those who are fluent in English and those who have limited proficiency in English. The percentage of the population who speak a language other than English varies by county across the state.
Career Pathways: Energy Solutions
Career Pathways are groups of occupations within a career field. Occupations within a pathway share common skills, knowledge, and interests. In the Energy Solutions industry, skills such as mathematics, science, and the ability to use critical and analytical thinking are important. Safety and quality control issues and understanding environmental laws and regulations are also critical parts of this industry. Click on the above link to learn more about these career pathways and opportunities.
Middle Skills: Construction Occupations
Almost four out of five Construction and Extraction jobs are middle-skilled. The top three middle-skill Construction and Extraction occupations with the most projected annual openings are Carpenters, Electricians, and First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers. These three occupations combined are projected to have over 4,700 annual job openings through 2030.
December Job Postings 2022-2023 Comparison
Job postings decreased 13 percent from December 2022 to December 2023. In December 2023, there were 56,520 online job postings compared to 64,860 in December 2022. The seasonally adjusted December 2023 unemployment rate of 3.3 percent in Missouri was higher than the November 2023 rate of 3.2 percent and the December 2022 rate of 2.7 percent. Job postings have decreased and the unemployment rate has increased during the last several months.
Missouri Small Business Profile
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 2023 Small Business Profile, Missouri has more than 548,000 small businesses in the state that employ 1.1 million workers. A total of 6,057 identified firms exported goods worth $14.6 billion from Missouri in 2021. Of those exporters, 5,116 — or 84.5 percent — were small businesses. Learn more about small businesses in Missouri in this SBA profile.