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For the first time since 1990, the St. Louis region is among the nation鈥檚 top 10 metro areas for job growth. Employment in the 14-county region that includes the Metro East has risen 2.16% this year 鈥� surpassing the national rate of 1.7%.

To keep St. Louis鈥� existing tech talent, some regional leaders are pushing for more support for startups. But it鈥檚 not a quick or easy fix.

The Technology2030 report commissioned by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce shows the state ranks just 30th in tech job growth over the past five years, but that鈥檚 higher than all neighboring states.

鈥淢any employers have a requirement for a four-year degree, but slowly and surely they鈥檙e realizing a four-year degree doesn鈥檛 mean everyone that comes out has the skills and ability to do the role,鈥� said one leader of a tech training organization.

Lincoln University in Jefferson City and Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla are two of the 33 campuses nationwide that will be part of a $262 million effort to recruit and train the next generation of agriculture workers.

With Chicago in the running for the $11 billion National Semiconductor Technology Center, a multi-university network of researchers and scientists are optimistic Illinois鈥� advances in engineering and manufacturing 鈥� especially quantum 鈥� will help them seal the deal. So is Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Julian Nicks replaces former CEO Tasmyn Scarl, who recently resigned after two months on the job. Scarl's departure followed a wave of criticism from Launchcode employees and students that the organization had not publicly supported its transgender students and staff on social media.

The answer is complicated and depends on how you look at the 2.6% unemployment rate for the overall St. Louis metropolitan area.

鈥淚f you want to attract economic development to the area, one of the selling points is that we have talent for you to bring whatever your respective business, industry here,鈥� one expert said.

Over the next five days more than 40 events at dozens of venues in both Missouri and Illinois will cover sectors like ag tech, geospatial, extended reality, robotics and others.