This looks at several of the better companies to work for in St. Louis. It considers these companies from the point of view of wages, benefits, and advancement opportunities.

Like many cities not located in the sunbelt, St. Louis has lost some of its biggest and best employers. Companies like Ford, Chrysler, AT&T, American Airlines, and a variety of other large employers have either shut down or reduced their presence in St. Louis. However, this does not mean that there are not plenty of great companies with headquarters or significant business bases in St. Louis.

Except for a General Motors plant near Wentzville, Missouri, car manufacturing in St. Louis is all but gone. The Ford plant has been idle for several years, and Chrysler is winding down their operation in Fenton, Missouri. Both Fenton and Wentzville are considered St. Louis suburbs.

Just because the big three have reduced operations does not mean that their are no jobs related to automobile manufacturing. In St. Louis and the surrounding areas in Missouri and Illinois, companies produce brake parts, fuel systems, and various other automobile components. Many of these jobs pay well and offer significant benefit packages.

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For teachers, St. Louis has a city student population of nearly 100,000. This means plenty of opportunities for teachers and other staff. St. Louis is unique, in that, it is more of a collection of cities than one large urban area. In the surrounding communities and St. Louis County, there are many school districts that collectively are larger than the city school district. This means many more jobs can be found within the metropolitan area.

Although InBev has purchased the AB Brewery, it still remains as a major force in St. Louis. Still ranked as one of the world’s largest breweries, it employs thousands of people. The brewery offers one of the best salary and benefit packages in the area. InBev intends to keep the brewery running full throttle at the present. This means that these are not only good jobs, but relatively secure in the near future.

Lambert International Airport is a world class airport. It has been downsized somewhat due to American Airlines moving its hub away from St. Louis. It still retains a strong employer presence in the region. Lambert International Airport employs personnel for ticket sales, passenger boarding, security, vending, luggage handling, maintenance, and a host of other jobs.

Monsanto Chemical operations are still headquartered in the region in St. Louis County. Employing thousands of workers at highly skilled and unskilled positions, it remains one of the areas largest employers. The company offers strong benefits and great advancement opportunities.

St. Louis is strong in the biotech field. A world leader in genome research, cloning, and genetic manipulation, St. Louis has many career paths available in this field. Washington University has taken the lead in this effort, but many small companies are positioned for rapid growth in the near future.

All around the area, the building trades offer plenty of chances for skilled and unskilled individuals to earn a decent living. Between housing starts and large scale projects, construction workers can usually find ready employment somewhere around St. Louis. Highway construction in St. Louis, like many cities, is non-stop. Hundreds if not thousands of workers are needed to keep up the area roadways.

Hospitals in and around St. Louis are in perpetual expansion. This means healthcare jobs abound. Nurses and other healthcare professionals are often in short supply. As a result, wages stay strong and job flexibility is offered as incentive to those who apply for the positions.