Missouri chamber report details tech industry's economic wins

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry is counting on the technology industry to play a key role in the state's post-pandemic economic recovery.

The chamber's Technology 2030 Report, commissioned by Economic Leadership LLC, counts economic wins in the state scored by the tech industry over the past year and makes predictions for the sector, according to a news release. The report was released yesterday.

Highlights from the report:
• the tech industry contributes 412,000 direct and indirect jobs to the state's economy, or roughly 14% of the workforce;
• Missouri is No. 8 among states in tech diversity;
• the state is Top 10 nationwide in tech jobs held by women;
• the tech industry creates nearly two additional jobs for every tech position added in Missouri; and
• the average earnings for Missouri tech workers in 2020 were $112,100, nearly double the average for all workers.

"We’ve long said that technology is the future of our economy. The Technology 2030 Report makes it clearer than ever that the future is now,” Missouri chamber President and CEO Dan Mehan said in the release. “To make the most of today’s positive trends, Missouri must make progress on several fronts. We need to improve our broadband and transportation infrastructure. We need to continue our focus on preparing our workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow. We also need to be aggressive in our efforts to attract tech investment to our cities and to smaller communities across the state.”

Further, the report found Missouri's IT sector is projected to grow by 11.6% over the next five years, with tech manufacturing expected to jump by nearly 12%, as well, during that time.