It’s starting to become irrefutable: Utah’s business scene is so hot right now. In our last issue, we discussed what made Utah so alluring for startups and entrepreneurs (Link). Business Insider has been saying it for years, and now Forbes, too, is also singing our praises.
So what, according to Forbes, makes Utah so sexy? The impressive increase of White Collar Jobs in the Provo/Orem region. While the job market is looking better than ever, it doesn’t hurt to have a few more well-dressed ladies and gentlemen entering the workforce. Utah’s business scene looks good statistically, economically, and physically.
So why the boost in high paying, highly professional jobs in Utah? Forbes contributor Joel Kotkin suggests that “mid-size cities” like Provo and Orem have more of an allure to families desiring to keep costs low and children safe. The dollar will stretch further in Provo than it will in New York (29th best city for jobs) or Chicago (42nd), so highly competent individuals are opting for a high quality of life with a lower price tag in good old Utah.
Furthermore, our emphasis on education draws some of the best and the brightest to our local scene, specifically in technology and manufacturing. Forbes suggests that college towns invite much growth and industry, perhaps inviting a correlation to young, educated entrepreneurs and white collar jobs emerging.
Right now, 13.5 % of our workforce in Provo and Orem is employed in what is considered a “White Collar Job.” Our scene is so strong that Congress had to implement state-specific laws and a registry of White Collar offenders for those working in White Collar Fraud. We’ll take it as a backhanded compliment; we must be doing something right financially to attract all these scam artists?
So whether you’re looking into Domo or Novell, Adobe or Qualtrics, know that Utah has created a space for you to succeed.
