Meet me in St. Louis, Louis, meet me at the fair, so goes the song in reference to the World’s Fair held in Saint Louis just over a century ago (1904).
By both anecdotal accounts and according to Monster’s
Occupational Trends Index, this old fair town is faring pretty well these days. In fact, three separate friends I spoke to back in the US over the holiday season mentioned St. Louis as a top city for job seekers.
While I’ve traversed Route 70 no less than four times glimpsing that great arch (behold!), I’ve never had the opportunity to stop and see the city.
But as news items this week cite job trends and offer hot tips for roles and locations that will be big in 2008, I found myself pondering what I’d heard about St. Louis, and discovering that these days it is indeed a gateway for the US workforce, with strong YOY growth in most sectors, as outlined in Monster’s most recent (October 2007) data.
If this growth climate continues in 2008, St. Louis should continue to attract the professional as well as the traditional job seeker. The area boosts a wealth of art, culture, nature, amusement activities and sporting events. The cost of living* is roughly 56% lower than in New York City, for example, whereas salaries are lower by only 13% comparatively, meaning quality life can be maintained with certain ease for current workers considering relocation from other metropolitan areas. Sounds like an absolute fairground to me.
*Cost-of-living wizard at Salary.com