Matt Pizult, a labor and workforce development specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, told the Clay County Commission that while Clay County has grown since the 2020 census, demographic changes and retirements will tighten the available local workforce over the next decade.
Pizult said Clay County’s population was “about 260,000 people” as of 2024 and that the county added roughly 11,000 residents since the 2020 census. He said regional employment is about 123,000 and the median household income is about $82,000.
The nut graf: Pizult told commissioners that employers — including manufacturers and data centers that have recently located in the region — will face increasing competition for workers as baby boomers retire and the ratio of incoming workers to retirees declines.
Pizult highlighted several local and regional programs the University of Missouri Extension runs or supports to expand the workforce pipeline. He described a “recovery friendly workplace” initiative to help employers recruit and retain people recovering from substance misuse, a “heroes to hives” program that helps veterans through beekeeping and training, a mental-health-first-aid training effort, and a pre-apprenticeship program begun in Jackson County in partnership with JE Dunn, Google and the Missouri Works Initiative. He said the pre-apprenticeship cohort he described recently had “over 200 applicants for 20 positions” and that participants received certifications, tools and a $3,500 stipend.
Pizult summarized county- and state-level demographic trends he said affect the labor supply: he reported that Kansas City’s core metro counties added tens of thousands of residents between 2010 and 2020 (he cited roughly 31,000 in Clay and 43,000 in Jackson during that decade) and that since the pandemic Clay County’s workforce is up “about 6 to 8,000.” He warned that the regional replacement ratio — the number of people entering the workforce for every 100 potential retirees — has fallen from about 1.71 in 2000 to about 1.07 today, a change that reduces the pool of readily available local workers.
Pizult also called attention to health and substance-misuse issues that remove otherwise prime-age adults from the labor force, saying in his presentation that “about 11% of men are not working and not looking for work” in the core age cohort and that many in that group report recent pain-medication use.
Commissioners asked Pizult about partnerships and next steps. Commissioner Wagner asked whether Extension works with the Northland Workforce Development Center; Pizult said he had met with center representatives and that “there’s a lot of alignment between our mission and their mission.” Commissioner Worthington said he wants the Extension data to inform an upcoming county discussion on hiring a director of economic development.
Pizult said Extension will host and promote local events, including a connecting-entrepreneur-communities conference in Excelsior Springs and a fall workforce summit to bring employers and training providers together to identify gaps and potential customized training programs. He said he would provide commissioners with the slide deck used in the presentation and contact information for follow-up.
Ending: Commissioners thanked Pizult and invited follow-up collaboration; Pizult said materials and contact details would be provided after the meeting.