Unemployment rate remains low and unchanged in November
Missouri’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.1 percent in November 2019, remaining unchanged from October. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical technique used to measure and remove influences of predictable seasonal patterns to show how employment and unemployment change monthly.
While the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged over the month, employment in Missouri did increase strongly in November 2019, adding 5,300 jobs from October 2019.
Missouri has over-the-year job gains across key industries – with employment growing by 37,100 jobs, or 1.3 percent over the last year.
To view the November 2019 jobs report, click here.
State recognizes Registered Apprenticeships as vital to workforce development
Missouri ranks second in the nation in completed apprenticeships, and recently reached a milestone of 10,000 newly Registered Apprenticeships for FY 2019. Registered Apprenticeships are equipping workers with skills that match the needs of employers.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson established the Office of Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning with Executive Order 19-20 on Nov. 12. The Office of Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning will focus on significantly increasing the number of participants in apprenticeships. It will develop and implement a statewide strategy for expanding and modernizing apprenticeships throughout Missouri.
Missouri has 473 registered programs involving more than 3,600 employers.
Missouri moves closer toward Big Goal set for higher education
Missouri colleges and universities are actively building tomorrow’s workforce. In 2011, the state set a big goal to have 60 percent of working-age adults in Missouri with a certificate or degree by 2025. By 2018, the halfway point on the path toward the big goal, 52.6 percent of working-age Missourians had earned a certificate or degree. That percentage has now increased to 53.7.
The raw number of college graduates in Missouri has increased by 11.6 percent over of the past eight years, including a 26 percent increase in technical and community college graduates. Graduation rates are also on the rise, with several institutions reporting more than a 10 percent increase.
About Missouri One Start:
Missouri One Start is a Division within the Department of Economic Development. Training programs are administered regionally by local education agencies (LEAs). In addition to meeting certain eligibility criteria, companies must be making a capital investment five times greater than the amount of training funds they receive.
