Trendsights Newsletter

BLS Virtual Data Users Conference
Join the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Southwest/Mountain-Plains Virtual Data Users’ Conference on April 29, 2021. This free event will bring together national BLS experts to discuss the effect of COVID-19 on employment, wages, prices, and production, providing some regional aspects when available.
Population Bracketology
Explore this fun, interactive application from the U.S. Census Bureau to test your knowledge of the population size of states and metropolitan areas. Click the link above to see how close you can get to a perfect score.
Career Pathways: Hospitality and Food Service
Career Pathways are groups of occupations within a career field. Occupations within a pathway share common skills, knowledge, and interests. In the Hospitality and Food Service industry, careers are available in a variety of fields, including Administrative and Support Services, Sales and Marketing, Food Service, and Entertainment. Learn more about the career opportunities in this industry at the link above.
Hospitality Industry Real-Time Jobs Analysis
The Hospitality and Food Service industry showed more than 42,000 online job postings in 2020 for top demand jobs. The top occupation was Food Service Managers, making up 13 percent of total Missouri job postings. Click on the link above to learn more about the top jobs postings in this industry and the skills and certifications most commonly requested for those jobs.
In-Demand Programming Languages
Information Technology (IT) occupations are some of the most in-demand occupations in Missouri. Computer programming, developing, and support occupations employed more than 88,000 people at an average wage of $79,860 in 2019. Employment in IT occupations is projected to grow 13.4 percent from 2018 to 2028. In the last year, there were over 45,000 online job ads in Missouri for selected IT occupations, and the majority of job ads request applicants who are proficient in various computer programming languages. Top requested programming languages include SQL, Java, and Python. Click on the above link to learn more about these in-demand programming skills and the industries that are hiring for them.
Skills Transfer – Office Administration and Support
While some occupations were particularly impacted by the COVID pandemic, the valuable skills developed from those occupations may transfer to other job opportunities. In the field of Office Administration and Support, skills such as customer service, appointment setting, and scheduling may transfer to related jobs. Click on the above link to see what occupations have similar skills and if any additional training may be needed.
In-Demand Programming Languages
Information Technology (IT) occupations are some of the most in-demand occupations in Missouri. Computer programming, developing, and support occupations employed more than 88,000 people at an average wage of $79,860 in 2019. Employment in IT occupations is projected to grow 13.4 percent from 2018 to 2028. In the last year, there were over 45,000 online job ads in Missouri for selected IT occupations, and the majority of job ads request applicants who are proficient in various computer programming languages. Top requested programming languages include SQL, Java, and Python. Click on the above link to learn more about these in-demand programming skills and the industries that are hiring for them.
Skills Transfer – Food Service
While some occupations were particularly impacted by the COVID pandemic, the valuable skills developed from those occupations may transfer to other job opportunities. In the field of Office Administration and Support, skills such as customer service, appointment setting, and scheduling may transfer to related jobs. Click on the above link to see what occupations have similar skills and if any additional training may be needed.
February Job Postings Comparison
In February 2021, there were 48,681 online job postings in Missouri, compared to 55,987 in February 2020. The industries with the largest number of job postings were General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, Restaurants and Other Eating Places, and Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools.
Skills Transfer - Sales Occupations
Even a year after the start of COVID-related shutdowns, entry level jobs that were once plentiful continue to experience large numbers of layoffs. The Sales skills transfer report shows in-demand jobs with similar skills to those occupations with large numbers of Unemployment Insurance claims, and any additional training that may be needed to obtain those jobs.
Business Index Continues to Rise
Missouri’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for February was 64.2, increasing 1.7 points from January, according to the monthly Mid-America Business Conditions Survey. This index measures the manufacturing activity outlook with such factors as new orders, production, sales, inventories, and supplier delivery times. Any index value above 50 is considered to be in a state of growth.
Career Grade Poster Now Available
With nearly 800 occupations to consider, choosing a career can be a challenge. Missouri Career Grades are a tool to help compare the future outlook of occupations. To make the comparisons easier, the Missouri Career Grades Report assigns letter grades to various occupations within the state based on each occupation’s outlook over the next decade. The Career Grades poster provides a quick look at those occupations with the top outlook. To read the full report, access printable Career Grades posters, or to order a large 24 x 36 inch poster, click on the above link.
County Demographic Data
The latest demographic data such as educational attainment, gender, age, race and ethnicity are available for Missouri and its counties. The easy-to-use Excel file format includes data for each county for 44 demographic factors, and is formatted with a separate tab showing the counties by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) region.
Missouri Economic Diversity
A diversified economy is one with many industries that is more balanced and can better manage fluctuations in the business cycle. Using an index of the distribution of state gross domestic product across industries, Missouri ranked fourth in the index for economic diversity, up two spots from the previous year.
Missouri Higher Education Fact Book
Missouri is home to a diverse higher education system that offers a variety of degree and certificate programs and specialized training, with 93,283 degrees and certificates awarded during the 2019-2020 academic year. More than 318,000 students were enrolled at Missouri’s public and independent colleges and universities alone in 2020. Learn more facts about higher education in Missouri such as enrollment, top degree programs and graduation rates at Missouri’s public institutions in the latest update of the Higher Education Fact book.
West Central Real-Time Labor Market Information
The West Central Region includes 13 counties, with Sedalia and Warrensburg being the region’s largest cities. During the last quarter of 2020, there were 2,056 job postings in the region, with 69 percent posted as full-time positions. Health Care and Social Assistance, Manufacturing, and Retail Trade were the top industries for job postings. See the top 10 employers posting jobs and a list of the occupations with the highest number of postings in the region in this quarterly update.
Missouri Top Country Exports
Over half of all Missouri’s export income came from the top three recipients in 2020. Canada purchased $4.45 billion in goods, followed by Mexico ($2.17 billion), and China ($680 million). Did you know that the Netherlands had the largest percentage increase in exports from 2019 to 2020? Missouri exports to North America were over half of all exports, followed by Asia and Europe. Click on the link above to see what commodities are purchased by the Missouri top export countries.
Southwest Real-Time Labor Market Information
Missouri's Southwest Region includes seven counties, with Joplin as the region’s largest city. During the last quarter of 2020, there were 3,236 job postings in the region, with 66 percent posted as full-time positions. Health Care and Social Assistance and Manufacturing were the top two industries for job postings. See the top 10 employers posting jobs and a list of the occupations with the highest number of postings in the Southwest Region in this quarterly update.
January 2021 Job Postings by Region
Registered nurses had the largest number of online job postings for six of Missouri's 10 labor market regions in January 2021, based on data from Burning Glass Technologies, Labor/Insight™, which collects job posting information from over 35,000 web sources, including job boards, newspapers, large and small employer websites. This easy-to-view Excel file download shows the occupations with the largest number of openings in the month for Missouri and each of the regions.
Many Languages in Missouri
In Missouri, nearly 94 percent of residents speak English only, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. The other six percent of Missourians speak either another language in addition to English or have a different primary language, with 2.2 percent of Missouri residents with limited English proficiency. The three most common languages other than English are Spanish, Chinese and German. See data for counties and other languages in this interactive report.
Southeast Real-Time Labor Market Information
Missouri's Southeast Region includes 13 counties, with Cape Girardeau as the region’s largest city. During the last quarter of 2020, there were 2,543 job postings in the region, with 67 percent of job openings posted as full-time positions. Health Care and Social Assistance and Retail Trade were the top two industries for job postings, similar to the trend for the state overall. See the list of occupations in the Southeast Region with the highest number of openings in this quarterly report.
Valentine’s Day: Love’s Impact on the Economy
Valentine's Day spending is predicted to total $21.8 billion in the U.S., with average spending of $164.76 per person, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2021 Valentine’s Day Consumer Survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics. In Missouri, chocolate candy manufacturers employ 493 workers and over $2 million in fresh cut flowers are imported each year. Click on the above link to discover more fun facts about Valentine’s Day and how consumers plan to lavish gifts on their loved ones.
Missouri Labor Force Participation Rate Rises
The labor force participation rate is an indicator of the relative amount of labor resources available for the production of goods and services and is calculated as the number of all employed and unemployed workers divided against the state's civilian population. Missouri's labor force participation rate rose 1.5 percentage points in December 2020 to 63.4 percent from the November 2020 rate of 61.9 percent, not seasonally adjusted. The pre-pandemic rate in December of 2019 was 64.2 percent. Click on the link above to learn more about the labor force participation rate trend in Missouri and other states.
Small Business Financial Health
Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Small Business Pulse Survey shows Missouri businesses have been positioned greater than the collective U.S. with respect to some financial health indicators. Roughly 5 percent of U.S. small businesses expected to permanently close within the next six months, according to the December pulse survey, and 3 percent of Missouri small businesses said the same. One-third of U.S. small businesses reported they will need financial assistance or additional capital in the next half year, but only 27 percent of Missouri small businesses indicated that need. View the full report to learn more about how Missouri businesses’ financial health has changed in recent months.