The Missouri Chamber of Congress released new details today that show why Missouri needs to pass Right-To-Work to help the state’s economy and boost hiring opportunities
January 4, 2017
MO Chamber: Right To Work Would Significantly Benefit State’s Economy
As the the legislative session in Jefferson City kicks off, the debate over Right-To-Work in Missouri will soon take center stage. While many claims about this legislation will be made, the Missouri Chamber of Congress put together some important background to show why Missouri needs to pass Right-To-Work to help the state’s economy and boost hiring opportunities.
The Chamber surveyed more than 1,000 Missouri CEOs, who revealed that Right-To-Work legislation would make Missouri more competitive:
“The Missouri Chamber’s research revealed the need for strong labor reforms. In our Gallup survey of more than 1,000 Missouri CEOs, job creators revealed that becoming a right-to-work state would help make Missouri more competitive. Gallup also interviewed site selectors from around the nation. ‘During interviews of site selectors, Gallup was told that Missouri is operating at only 60 percent of its capacity without right-to-work,’ Mehan said. ‘That means we are losing 40 percent of the opportunities for new jobs coming to Missouri.’”
The Chamber also highlighted data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, showing that Right-To-Work states have had higher job and GDP growth over the last decade than non-Right-To-Work states:
“There is evidence that right-to-work policy grows jobs and prosperity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, right-to-work states added 8.6 percent in new jobs in the last decade (2005–2015) compared to non-right-to-work states, which grew employment by 5 percent. During that same time, GDP in right-to-work states increased by 15.3 percent, while non-right-to-work states only grew by 11.9 percent. Wage growth in both right-to-work and non-right-to-work states was exactly the same, increasing by 7.7 percent from 2005–2015.”
These sentiments from business leaders and data about job growth in Right-To-Work states prove the many benefits that will brought into Missouri when this legislation is passed.