Missouri Overview

While the manufacturing industry once helped bring the Missouri job market and economy down, it is now helping to bring them back up. While the Show Me state is reporting mild growth trends, its long-term prospects are positive due to its relatively diversified economy and stable real estate market.

Missouri Job Opportunities

Top private employers in Missouri include Wal-Mart, Washington University, Boeing, Mercy Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

The trade, transportation and utilities sector leads employment in Missouri, followed by government and education/health services. The strongest growth has been reported in professional/business services and manufacturing, while many of the other industries, including the leading sectors of trade, transportation and utilities and government, have been shedding jobs.

Missouri Employment Trends

The metrics on Missouri jobs have been mostly positive. The state’s unemployment rate was 7.1 percent in June 2012, a big decrease from the year-earlier rate of 8.7 percent. After declining during the recession, Missouri payrolls improved during the first half of 2011 before declining again in the second half of the year and into 2012. Online opportunities, which have been sporadic but strong, are building toward prerecession levels.

Jobs in Missouri are expected to increase 1 percent between Q2 2012 and Q2 2013, less than the 1.3 percent gain expected in the nation’s job supply over that time, according to Moody’s Analytics.