Manpower Job Listings

I searched the three cities of Sioux Falls, SD (my hometown), Madison, WI, and Los Angeles, CA. When I searched my hometown, there were six available positions, however they were all in the Manufacturing and Production or Building and Construction categories, which require little technical expertise. I think this is telling of the business landscape of Sioux Falls. Having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, and with a flourishing economy to boot, Sioux Falls has been recently featured on NPR's Marketplace and in The Atlantic as one of the most profitable and economical places to live. The positions on Manpower in Sioux Falls, save for one, only required a high school degree; the other claimed a degree is "preferred." This, in my opinion, is an indicator that if there are jobs open for people of lower skill levels and less experience, the economy must be demanding, and stable.

The next city I searched for was Madison. There were three positions located in Madison proper, in the fields of Banking and Insurance, which demand basic skills in computer technology. All three jobs required degrees; two required Bachelors degrees while one only required a high school diploma or equivalent. I think this is also a good sign for employment prospects in Madison. If there are jobs at different skill levels, then the economic climate must be good.

Finally, I searched Los Angeles. There were many opportunities for white collar positions. Of all the cities, I think this is the most telling. One of the cities hardest hit by the 2008 recession, Los Angeles seems to be on the rise as one of America's major financial centers. If more white collar, professional positions are available that require somewhat advanced technology skills, the economy is in pretty decent shape. 

Overall, these jobs are not the worst, but they are far from what I want to pursue. I see myself doing something more autonomous than working 40 hours a week in an office. The skills required with each of these positions in each city are definitely essential to rising up the corporate latter, however I don't feel like they are up to par with current digital advancements, and aren't that in demand anymore. Most adults can sufficiently utilize Microsoft Office (and even Adobe Creative Suite). The jobs that entail knowing more in-depth technology skills, such as coding and website creation, pay more, but are far more specialized and require more education. If people want these jobs, they must acquire enough education to pursue them.