More people are working in the St. Louis region than ever before, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The St. Louis region gained nearly 31,000 workers over the past year, making it the seventh-best U.S. metro area for job growth. The region broke through the top 10 for the first time since 1990. The number of people working in the 14-county region that includes the Metro East has risen 2.16% this year — surpassing the national rate of 1.7%.
The report from the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that job growth is highest in the Metro East, with Madison County adding nearly 4,000 people to the workforce. The area is quickly recovering from pandemic-related business closures, said Tony Fuhrmann, director at Madison County Employment and Training in Illinois.
“We're sort of at the new normal,” Fuhrmann said. “Some people are great with ordering everything online, other people want to come in the store … that's where we're at, in a number of industries. We're going to be, I think, pretty consistent.”
Leisure and hospitality was the fastest-growing industry across the region, adding nearly 12,000 employees in the past year. Employment increased in construction, health care, manufacturing and seven other industries. The information industry and professional/business service providers employed fewer people.
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The number of technology professionals fell after the pandemic boom — but the industry seems to be on the mend, said Emily Hemingway, executive director of TechSTL, the region’s tech council.
“The whole AI boom, over the past few years, has really changed the way companies have looked at the size of their team,” Hemingway said. “We've seen that play out in the job market but I think we're definitely to the other side of the more extreme cutbacks. We're seeing it level out.”
The number of people looking for work in the St. Louis region reached 3.7% of the available workforce — a less than 1% increase from last year. While the report found unemployment rose between 2023 and 2024, the civilian workforce grew by 2% in St. Louis alone. The city had an estimated workforce population of 154,414 in May 2024 — a nearly 4,000-person increase from the year before.
Hemingway said St. Louis's growing population presents a unique opportunity. Legacy industries like beverage manufacturing are turning to artificial intelligence. She said that once the newest technology boom ends, companies will introduce more IT jobs and look for local employees.
“St. Louis is really positioned well to not only drive talent and opportunity … but position our hub as a leader in innovation,” Hemingway said. “The big call to action for our leaders and partners is to figure out how we open the doors more intentionally … blurring those lines and letting those folks in.”
