Sioux Falls, SD – May The Workforce Be With You
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A friend sent this Bloomberg piece to me earlier today and I found it to be particularly interesting in light of our own challenges here in Great Falls.
There’s a lot in this article that deserves study and I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in and concerned about jobs and economic development in Montana and right here in River City read it.
Here’s one of the points that caught my attention:
“This isn’t just the story, though, of a state luring industry with low taxes and deregulation. South Dakota’s workforce happens to be pretty solid, too. College graduates make up a smaller share of the adult population there than nationwide, but the state ranks near the top in the percentage of adults with high school diplomas and associate degrees, as well as in literacy rate, and it has among the highest labor-force participation rates and lowest unemployment rates.”
“…South Dakota’s workforce happens to be pretty solid, too. College graduates make up a smaller share of the adult population there than nationwide, but the state ranks near the top in the percentage of adults with high school diplomas and associate degrees, as well as in literacy rate, and it has among the highest labor-force participation rates and lowest unemployment rates.”
A quality workforce doesn’t necessarily mean everyone has to have a 4-year college degree. However, developing a quality workforce does mean we can’t rely on a retired population or a younger demographic that can’t pass a drug test or show up to work because of a hangover.
And developing and maintaining a young, motivated workforce is one of our major challenges in Great Falls.
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