KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri's Show Me Strong Recovery Task Force, a group created by Gov. Mike Parson to assess the recovery of small businesses, has released its final report.
The report makes recommendations that the task force believes will help small businesses recover from struggles brought by COVID-19.
"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," a release from the governor's office said. "The analysis confirmed that businesses in some industries, such as hospitality and retail, were particularly negatively affected, and businesses across all sectors are experiencing ongoing difficulties with hiring, supply chain issues, and workforce challenges."
The recommendations included improving child care availability and affordability, expanding apprenticeships in the hospitality industry and promoting state programs that support small, women and minority-owned businesses, among an array of other things.
The full report, with a complete list of its recommendations, can be found here.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged our state in many ways, and Missouri small businesses are among those hardest hit,” Anna Hui, the director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and chair of the task force, said. “Our hope is these findings will be helpful in addressing the needs of business owners and securing a prosperous future.”
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