Career and Occupations
Career Research
Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (OEWS)
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program is a Federal-State cooperative effort that produces employment and wage estimates for about 800 different occupations. In Missouri, the program is operated by the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development/Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Occupational Projections
Employment projections give an overview of where the Missouri economy may be headed based on past and present trends.
Projected Growth and Recovery
The 2020 to 2030 projections, funded by the Program Year 2021 WIGS grant and published in July 2022,
have unique considerations due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief details
those considerations.
ACT Workeys®
ACT WorkKeys® assessments measure foundational skills required for success in the workplace, and help measure the workplace skills that can affect job performance. Scores are provided for three different categories: Applied Math, Workplace Documents, and Graphic Literacy. Each assessment offers varying levels of difficulty.
Career Grades Report
Find out which jobs have the best pay, most openings and fastest growth by knowing their grade.
Career Pathways
Career pathways highlight different jobs in sectors, from entry-level to higher skill, that are in demand
Online Job Postings
View aggregated job postings data to show trends over time
Skills Transfer
While some occupations were particularly impacted by the COVID pandemic, the valuable skills developed from those occupations may transfer to other job opportunities.
Skills Transfer - Food Service - PDF
Skills Transfer - Sales - PDF
Skills Transfer – Office Administration and Support - PDF
Labor Supply and Demand
Real-Time Job Summaries
Real-Time Labor Market Summaries covering the past 3 months.
Labor Supply and Demand
Compare which jobs are in high demand yet have few job seekers chasing those opportunities in 2021.
Regional Labor Supply and Demand
The largest Labor gaps in Missouri existed in Health Care, Science & Technology, Construction, Installation, Maintenance & Repair (CIMR), and Production Jobs.
Jobs and Education
Missouri Jobs by Education and Skill Level
Missouri has a wide range of occupations that require various levels of education and skill. This report will highlight the employment, openings, and wages of occupations based on education and skill level.
Education Pays
The link between education and earnings is clear. At each increased level of educational attainment, there is a significant increase in average wage.
Online Job Postings
The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented shock to the economy, impacting the workforce and companies across sectors. This page contains new and relevant research created to assist with economic recovery, along with links to quickly navigate to other relevant resources.
Target Occupations
Real Time Labor Demand
Financial and Professional Services
Health Care Science and Services
Industry Career Pathways
Financial and Professional Services
Health Care Science and Services
Special Studies
Library/Archive
Workforce Research Library
Review MERIC Library and select reports
Labor Market Information Webinars
The Economic Indicator Webinar Series offers extensive training on economic indicators useful to understanding your labor market. The Labor Market Fundamentals module is the introductory course, while each subsequent module offers more in-depth training.
MERIC Library
Archived Research material in PDF form.
Archived Research and Recovery from Pandemic
Archived Research material in PDF form.
Quick Links