As part of an evaluation of the Missouri master plan for higher education, employment and manpower trends in the state are examined. A summary of the state historical employment trends in the primary occupational sectors is presented. Included is an analysis of the 10-year trends from calendar year 1972 through the first quarter of calendar year 1983. Also included are comparisons of the changes by occupational sector from calendar years 1972 to 1982, and a summary of the projected nationwide trends in these occupational sectors through 1990. It is shown that the increase in the number employed in Missouri in the last decade was due entirely to an increase in employment in the nonmanufacturing economic sector; overall employment in the manufacturing sector actually decreased during the time. Staffing patterns within these sectors are also analyzed with regard to the percentage of college-educated employees, and attention is directed to the relationship of these percentages to the employment trends. Potential occupational opportunities in the high technology industries are addressed, with emphasis on the relationship of these possibilities to the future role of higher education. Directions that higher education might consider in assuming this role are highlighted. (SW)