Labor Day

On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland singed Senate Bill 730 formally establishing Labor Day as a Federal Holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. “Labor” is a key part of our regional economy and critical for business success, today is a great day to reflect on that.

Historically Labor Day started as a recognition of “Organized Labor” or Labor Unions and was initially celebrated with parades and activities for the members to be visible and recognized for their contributions. Overtime, and changes in our society Labor Day is more widely viewed as an opportunity to recognize the broader labor or workforce whether they belong to an organized union or not.

At the Governor’s Conference on Economic Development in Springfield last week, the current state of “labor” or the workforce was a hot topic of discussion. During his keynote remarks, Governor Parsons highlighted the strength of our current workforce noting that our most recent statewide unemployment number was 2.5 percent, the lowest it’s been since Missouri first started tracking the data 50 years ago. It was also noted that the overall Missouri Labor Force is up! There are more people working in Missouri now than before the pandemic started in 2020.

Workforce Development is a top issue for businesses because it is harder than ever to find the talent needed to keep business going and growing. Recognizing the vital role that our workers have in our businesses is important to our long-term success as a region.

This Labor Day I want to recognize the contributions and efforts of the workers that help drive the economy of Southeast Missouri. I hope that today you can take time to relax and spend quality time with friends and family in recognition of your hard work.

And Thank You!