Work Force Development


Burns & McDonnell pushes to $5.3B revenue over last year

Kansas City-based Burns & McDonnell hit a record year of sales, producing $5.3 billion, supporting 15,000 projects and adding more than 600 employees. With the news of the construction engineering company’s financial success comes news of several leadership promotions including… more

Mo. recognized for economic development progress

The state of Missouri recently received two awards from leading economic development publications in recognition of major corporate investments. “Even during these challenging times, we are proud that we have made great strides in growing our economy and creating jobs,”… more

U.S employment shows 8.5 percent growth over 20 years

Total U.S. employment grew by 11,767,000, or 8.5%, in the 20 years ending in December 2020, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. All of that growth—11,879,000, or 101% of the total—was due to increased… more

KC labor market report reveals healthcare as largest industry

A three-month labor market summary for the Kansas City region posted by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center displays data collected between October 2020 and December 2020 on regional employers, industries, full-time jobs and more. Over the three-month timespan,… more

Kansas labor department selects new secretary

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Amber Shultz of Lawrence, Kan. as the state's new Secretary of the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL). Shultz will serve in an acting capacity until the Kansas Senate confirms her as the new head of the… more

Kansas City noted among best cities for work-life balance

In the era of COVID-19, much has changed in the workplace. For many, their work-life balance has skewed significantly over the course of the last year, impacted drastically by remote work and other effects of COVID-19. A study by SmartAsset… more

Kansas tourism division to see restructure, department move

Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday that she will restructure the executive branch and attempt to put the state's tourism division under the Department of Commerce. The governor's office cited input from businesses, destination marketing organizations and other key industry partners for… more

Over half of Missouri employers expect reset, return of pre-COVID staffing levels by year-end

Most Missouri employers report workforce fluctuations because of COVID-19 but just over 50 percent expect to be back to pre-COVID staffing levels by the end of 2021, according to a statewide survey by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center.… more

Construction Executives Poised to Move Ahead

The past year has brought considerable tumult to the nation’s economy, but somewhat surprisingly, the construction and design sector in this region seems to fare somewhat better than in other parts of the country. A survey by the Association of… more

KC region sees significant industrial growth in 2020

The last year presented many challenges, most centered around COVID-19. However the Kansas City region also had its bright spots. Similar to the rest of the country, the industrial real estate and supply chain sectors in Kansas City saw significant… more