Steel Mills

Nucor Sees Flood of Applicants for Jobs at Sedalia Mill

August 29, 2019

Nucor has received more than 2,300 applicants for 250 positions at its $400 million steel plant in Sedalia, Mo. The rebar plant is expected to open in November.

Jessica Craig, Sedalia-Pettis County economic development executive director, says 153 employees have already been hired, some coming from as far away as Columbia and Kansas City, more than an hour away. Fifty of the new employees are transfers from other Nucor plants, Craig told Missouri.net.

The new recruits are being trained at Nucor plants in Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. Salaries for Nucor steelworkers average about $65,000.

The need for recruiting and training a workforce for tomorrow’s steel industry was a topic of discussion at the SMU 2019 Steel Summit. Business and government sectors are recognizing the need to do more to attract individuals to the manufacturing industry.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson recently signed comprehensive economic legislation that is designed to meet employer needs and help Missouri compete for business expansions. One of the components of that law is Missouri One Start that will help businesses recruit, onboard and train job applicants.

“A top priority of our administration is to skill-up Missouri’s workforce for the jobs of the future,” Governor Parson said. “To move our state in the right direction, we had to roll up our sleeves and get to work, and that’s what this day represents.”

The Missouri Works Deal Closing Fund will give Missouri a negotiating tool to close deals with companies by granting tax credits up front during a business expansion, rather than over a multi-year period, and includes a claw-back provision.

“The Department’s mission is to help create greater opportunities for Missourians to prosper, and this reorganization positions us to concentrate on becoming even more customer centric, regionally targeted, and data driven,” said Missouri Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon. “Our aim is to move Missouri forward through delivering solutions to fuel workforce development and economic growth in our state.”