Working in Miami County

Those who choose to live and work in Miami County appreciate a wide variety of benefits and a new sense of community pride. Employees in Miami County avoid rush-hour traffic with other Kansas City Metro commuters, save on transportation costs and have a better work-life balance. 

Miami County's reverse commuters gain insight into the friendly, small town local life. Reverse commuters watch rush-hour traffic headed north while they headed toward their jobs in Miami County.

With over 150 jobs to choose from within Miami County, there is a job for everyone. Check out the area job openings tab for current available jobs.

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Miami County's diverse industry base focuses on government, manufacturing, retail trade, agriculture, healthcare and social assistance and construction. 

Available skilled labor allows employers to fill positions while training programs allow prospective employees to expand their skill sets.

Interested in making the move to Miami County? Visit the Relocation page for more information on Miami County and each of the cities.

Miami County's labor force has grown by more than 3 percent during the last decade.

The county is involved in the Regional Workforce Intelligence Network (RWIN) of Greater Kansas City, a regional workforce and economic data exchange system organized by Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) to encourage greater collaboration among the region's workforce data and information professionals.

RWIN is a collaboration of economic development professionals, one-stop/workforce centers, community colleges and universities that meets on a regular basis to share information on current workforce development activities. The network provides input on real-time labor market reports, sector partnership development and other workforce development activities in the region.

The Ady Reportady infographic

Ady Advantage, a leading site selection and economic development firm, met with almost 100 business and community leaders during 2019 to assess the region’s competitive advantages. During confidential interviews, those employers were asked to rate their workforce’s productivity and work ethic. They were asked to use a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best. As an overall average, Miami County employers rated their workforce highly with a 4.3.

What Employers Say

Excellent candidates with a community connection

"Miami County Medical Center continues to grow and flourish because of the availability to recruit and retain a highly skilled professional work force.  We continue to find a ready supply of excellent candidates for positions with our organization.  Most of our candidates have a community connection when applying.  The people we have been able to recruit and retain are dedicated to making the health of our community better." -- Paul Luce, Miami County Medical Center

Quality applicants, highly trained professionals

"Evergy is proud to serve Miami County out of our Service Center based in Paola. We have served Miami County for over 50 years. We currently have 32 employees based out of our Paola facility. Through our Employee Giving Campaign, each employee has the opportunity to donate to any of the 130 organizations.  Evergy matches those donations, nearly doubling the impact to our community. These funds support non-profit efforts that provide assistance to our neighbors, create opportunities for better lives, and make our communities stronger.  Evergy values quality customer service while striving for a reliable, cost effective energy supply for our customers.

"We have no problem attracting quality applicants for employment at our Paola location and historically our employees are drawn from a labor pool that includes Miami County residents.

"Our employees are highly trained professionals and our non-management employees are represented by the following bargaining units: IBEW Local 1464, IBEW Local 1613 and IBEW Local 412.

Many of these employees go through a rigorous four year Apprentice program before becoming journeymen. Our employees that serve Miami County have average job tenure with Evergy of 20 years." - Kursten Jones, District Service Center-South District, Evergy

Dependable and safety conscious 

"L&K Services currently employs about 34 employees and 15 temporary employees.  We are proud to say that of these 34 employees; 52% have been with our company more than five years. 

"We prefer to have employees from the Miami County area for the fact that they know the area, and the level of service that our local customers have come to expect in the trash and recycling industry. They help customers who are disabled or elderly by going to their front door to get their waste. They sometimes help customers carry their waste to the curb and are known for waving at them when they see them at the street.  

"Our employees are very dependable and safety conscious individuals, which is important in our business.  These employees have been responsible for the growth of L&K from 300 customers in 1974 to more than 22,000 customers today." -- Bryce Smith, L&K Services

Awesome employees

“We have always been able to find awesome employees here in Louisburg. Of course, we have had a few who don’t measure up, but they are very few in number.” – Dave Mingucci, manager, Price Chopper

High level of personal service

“First Option Bank has many dedicated employees who strive to provide quality customer service to residents and businesses in Miami and Linn Counties. We currently have 80 employees in our five locations which include Osawatomie, Paola, LaCygne, Louisburg and Spring Hill. We employ citizens of the local communities because of the relationships they already have within that community. Our employees participate in local events, are involved in community organizations and support the schools. First Option Bank has a long history of dedicated and committed employees and has remained under the same family ownership since 1970. As a locally owned community bank, we want to know our customers and provide them with a high level of personal service; that same type of personal service that Ted Lewis built the foundation of this bank on.” – Megan Vohs, human resources director, First Option Bank

Community pride

"Our exceptional staff is the most important component in providing a great educational experience for each student.  We are fortunate to be located in a desirable area which has allowed us to recruit and retain the highest-quality teachers and support staff for our students.  We are proud of our community and we hire many of our employees from within our community.  Our staff is not only highly professional, but they serve as mentors to prepare students to be successful in today's workforce." -- Brad Willson, assistant superintendent,  Spring Hill School District 

Hardworking employees that rise to the challenge

"The City of Paola is very fortunate to have a staff of quality employees. They have risen to the challenge during adverse times and celebrated the good things that have occurred in the community.

"Many of our employees are involved in local charities and volunteer for a number of various projects throughout Miami County. It is not always easy to leave your job and attend another meeting or go to work on a community project. Their hard work and dedication to community projects and charities certainly demonstrates their commitment to our community and the desire to make it a better place to live, work and play." -- Vicki Belt, human resources director, City of Paola

Professional development and pride

"The staff who help educate the students of the Louisburg community are highly-trained educators who care about each individual student.  Our local and state assessments indicate our staff prepare our students as well as district with a larger population and more resources.  The professional development and pride that our classified and certified staff have make an education in Louisburg as good as anywhere in the KC-metro area.  

"Each year, the district creates more opportunities for students so they can be ready for the 21st century and beyond. The staff have many years of service and many have advanced degrees.  The district hires staff from area school districts and surrounding states and the new staff always comments on the type of educational environment in Louisburg and how successful of an educational setting it is for all learners." -- Dr. Brian Biermann, superintendent, Louisburg School District 

Long employee tenure

"'I want to work and live in Miami County' is what we hear from candidates and employees.  There is a lot of pride within Miami County residents, and many choose to work in public service to keep the high community quality and customer service including, safety, law enforcement, road and bridge and other county services.  Many employees have worked in the Kansas City metro area and have grown tired of the traffic, long commute and corporate environment.  

"Low turnover, high employee tenure, and large volume of applicants indicate that Miami County continues to be an employer of choice." -- Holly Ray, human resource director, Miami County

Desirable place to work

"The Paola School District is not only preparing our students for the workforce, we are also a major employer in the city of Paola and Miami County.  Our students are taught the academic skills needed to be successful, and the soft skills needed for desirable employees. A majority of our teaching staff have advanced degrees and our support staff find the Paola School District as a desirable place to work.  This is evident by our long employee tenure with low staff turnover.  As a community we work together and collaborate to ensure that we are helping meet the needs of the business community." – Matt Meek, superintendent, Paola School District