From St Louis Regional Chamber

The St. Louis region’s employers are facing workforce shortages in key job types, according to the results of a large employer-based survey and report released today by the St. Louis Regional Chamber. Representatives from the business community, educational and workforce training institutions and community organizations gathered at the Chamber Thursday morning to reveal the survey findings. Chamber President & CEO Tom Chulick and other community leaders also issued a call-to-action for businesses, educational institutions and community organizations to provide more opportunities for students to access in-demand education and training programs.

“The St. Louis region needs more in-depth and meaningful collaboration between higher education institutions and businesses,” said Chulick. “Not just for the benefit of our economy, but also for our residents. We want students to know where the high-wage jobs are, what kind of industries are hiring and how our local colleges, universities and training programs can get them there. If we focus on the data and develop more effective partnerships between businesses and education, we as a region can be responsive and even proactive in addressing workforce gaps.”

The St. Louis region was one of 28 metro areas selected to conduct the “Bridging the Talent Gap” survey and a total of 289 respondents participated. Since “Bridging the Talent Gap’s” inception in 2016, St. Louis had the greatest number of respondents ever logged – 24 percent more respondents with usable data than the second most active city. Greg Laposa, Chamber Vice President of Education Strategies, suggests “St. Louis’ high number of respondents demonstrates how critical workforce and talent gaps are to area employers.”