Missouri Receives Award for Local Employment Dynamic Program
Missouri
Department of Economic Development Director Greg Steinhoff accepted
an award from the U.S. Census Bureau for sharing cross-state
commuting and employment data with Illinois as part of the Local
Employment Dynamics (LED) program. U.S. Census Bureau Director Louis
Kincannon presented the award to Missouri and Illinois for their
efforts and innovations with this program. The Missouri Economic
Research and Information Center (MERIC) administers the LED program
for Missouri.
"Our LED program has proven to be an invaluable resource in
advancing economic opportunities for Missouri," Steinhoff said.
"We are honored to be recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as
we strive to strengthen our communities and state."
Understanding the nature of cross-state employment and commuting patterns has been helpful in Missouri with economic and workforce development. The LED program has also been used in analyzing the economic impact of the proposed new Mississippi River Bridge in St. Louis.
"Missouri and Illinois have embarked on a shared data agreement that will allow both states to better understand key indicators in their shared labor markets, and the associated commuting patterns between the two states," said Louis Kincannon, director of the U.S. Census Bureau. "This LED partnership makes it possible, for the first time, to combine existing wage and employment data with demographic data to produce information that improves understanding of the local workforce and helps local workforce boards, economic developers and businesses decide how best to allocate resources, locate businesses and improve the match between workers and jobs."
Both
states were also recognized for their innovative uses of the LED
"On the Map" program where the study of types of
businesses, worker flows and information about the workforce
displaced by the tornadoes that have struck the region this year has
been beneficial.
"On the Map" is a web-based, interactive mapping
application. The objective is to show where people work and workers
live on maps with companion reports on their age, earnings and
industry distributions.
Visit LED online on the U.S. Census Bureau website or on the MERIC
website.
