Trendsights Newsletter

2020 County Average Wages
St. Louis City had the highest average annual wage across all industries in 2020 at $66,761, compared to the state average of $54,001. County average wage figures are derived from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), a cooperative program between the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. Click on the link above to view county average wages for both privately-owned industries and for all industries combined.
Population Trends in Missouri
The pace at which places gain or lose population can reveal much about their overall economic health. Growing populations often mean an expanding economy with more potential customers and workers, while slow growing or declining populations may indicate a struggling economy that leads workers to explore employment opportunities elsewhere. The U.S. Census Bureau released its 2020 population estimates in May 2021 and these estimates allow us to examine the population change that occurred over the past year and the past decade. Click on the link above to see population changes in Missouri and its regions.
Career Pathways: Biosciences
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. Bioscience deals with how living things work and interact with each other, and teaches how to ask questions, make observations, and solve problems. Click on the above link to learn more about Biosciences and the skills needed to advance in this career choice.
Jobs by Education and Skills
Missouri has a wide range of occupations that require various levels of education and skill. Generally, occupations requiring less education and experience levels produce the largest number of job opportunities, but occupations requiring higher education and skill levels have faster growth and higher wages. Education and training is very important in terms of median wages, as well as the risk of unemployment. Discover more in this new report using the latest projections for Missouri occupations.
2020 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Data Released
The Occupational Employment Statistics (OEWS) program is a Federal-State cooperative effort that produces employment and wage estimates for about 800 different occupations and one of the most frequently used data sets, both in Missouri and nationally. Detailed occupational employment, and average and percentile wages are available for the state, major metros and by region. Click on the above link to view the EXCEL file with the most recent data.
West Central Region Real Time Labor Market Summary
The West Central Region is comprised of 13 counties, with its largest cities being Sedalia and Warrensburg. Health Care and Social Assistance and Manufacturing are the region’s top industries. The top industries for job postings in the West Central Region were Health Care and Social Assistance and Manufacturing. Click on the link above to learn more about the West Central Region and its labor market.
April 2021 Job Postings by Region
Registered Nurses and Retail Salespersons were the top two occupations for online job postings for five of Missouri's 10 labor market regions in April 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.
Missouri Exports Rise in the First Quarter of 2021
Missouri exports rose by 17.6 percent from the first quarter 2020 to the first quarter 2021. Top industry sector exports came from Chemicals with $900 million in sales followed by Transportation Equipment ($870 million), Food and Kindred Products ($440 million), Machinery except Electrical ($230 million), and Agricultural Products ($220 million). The largest increase came from Petroleum and Coal Products with an increase of over 400 percent, followed by Agricultural Products (155 percent), Waste and Scrap (36 percent), Primary Metal Manufacturing (32 percent) and Plastic and Rubber Products (28 percent). Click on the link above to learn more about the state’s top exports.
Missouri and Regional Real-Time Labor Market Summaries
Missouri employers posted 174,382 job ads from January through March with 75% for full-time positions. Health Care and Social Assistance was the industry with the largest number of job postings, making up 30 percent of the total. Click on the above link to see the summaries for the state and each region.
Mother's Day Spending Rises
According to the National Retail Federation, this year mothers will be showered with flowers, gift cards, an evening out and jewelry. Mother's Day spending is expected to reach $28.1 billion dollars nationwide with the average person spending $220.48. View this infographic for some fast facts and figures about how mothers will be honored on their special day.
First Data from 2020 Census Released
Missouri’s population was 6,154,913 in 2020, according to the first data from the 2020 Census released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The state’s population increased by 165,986, or 2.8 percent, compared to the 2010 Census. Population in the U.S. grew by 7.4 percent during the same period.
Using BLS Data to Match People with Disabilities with Jobs
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has many data products that can be used to help people with disabilities plan their career paths. This Spotlight highlights these products and demonstrates how they can be used to evaluate potential jobs.
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.