The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry is praising new federal data that shows Missouri led the nation in the rate of employment growth last year.
About 13,000 of the 53,000 new jobs were in private education and health services. Missouri Chamber president Kara Corches says Missouri has an aging population that will require more medical care:
“We’re needing more health care workers in Missouri to help manage those who are aging, manage more chronic diseases also,” says Corches.
She tells 939 the Eagle that the occupation projected to grow the fastest in the next decade is nurse practitioners. Corches says Springfield-based Cox Health has taken the reins on workforce development, especially in the rural Ozarks. Chamber President Corches:
“They cover not just Springfield-Branson, some very rural areas across southwest Missouri. They’ve had a really innovative apprenticeship program,” says Corches.
Cox has facilities throughout southwest Missouri, including in Lamar, Monett and Lebanon.