Ahead of Missouri Governor Mike Parson’s State of the State Address tomorrow, his administration released a report about the strength of Missouri’s economy. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

The Show Me Strong Recovery Task Force was a year-long study commissioned by Governor Parson at the start of 2021, through executive order as a way to study and develop recommendations to support Missouri small businesses, including those that are minority- and women-owned. In addition to a seven-city listening tour, the Task Force worked closely with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses across Missouri.

The analysis confirmed that businesses in some industries, such as hospitality and retail, were negatively affected, and businesses across all sectors are experiencing ongoing difficulties with hiring, supply chain issues, and workforce challenges. The Task Force provided recommendations to help alleviate some of these issues including, improving childcare availability and affordability to aid working families, expand and promote hospitality industry apprenticeships, and streamline small business interaction with state agencies by creating a “One-Stop Shop” business portal. Governor Parson will deliver his 2022 State of the State Address tomorrow afternoon at 3. For 89 9 KRPS, I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro.