Report: Local region makes up 9% of state workforce

The seven-county area that includes Springfield employs 9 percent of Missouri’s total workforce, according to new data released by the state government.

The state Department of Economic Development's Missouri Economic Research and Information Center’s annual economic report shows job figures in the Ozark region, comprising Greene, Christian, Taney, Stone, Webster, Polk and Dallas counties.

In the Ozark region, the 2017 workforce was more than 235,300, a 3,500-job, or 1.5 percent increase, from 2016.  During the same time period, Missouri’s workforce increased by 0.9 percent.

The report includes the most recently available data showing the Ozark region’s top employment industries.

Topping the list was health care and social assistance, which grew by 2,801 jobs to 39,382 in 2016 compared with a baseline period of 2011. Retail trade was second, at 31,596 jobs, followed by accommodation and food services, at 29,974.

The economic report also estimated jobs in food preparation and service are expected to grow the most between 2016 and 2026. By 2026, the state government expects 9,613 to be employed in those jobs, up from 7,753 people in 2016.