South Dakota Leads in Trading for Success: Global Markets Help Small States Grow

South Dakota has more jobs than people. That's not a crisis—it's a design challenge.With an unemployment rate hovering around 1.8%, South Dakota proves that growth without workers forces innovation. The state is rewriting the playbook on recruitment, retention, and regional resilience—not through subsidies, but through culture.In this episode, Jesse Fonkert, Director of the South Dakota Trade Council, reveals how a state with a population of less than 1 million competes globally by prioritizing people over policy, freedom over tax breaks, and bold partnerships over bureaucracy.South Dakota isn't waiting for people to show up. It's building the kind of place they'll choose to stay!You’ll learnWhy 1.8% unemployment creates better problems than 8%How "concierge programs" turn newcomers into long-term residentsThe childcare-workforce paradox and South Dakota's balancing actWhy automation isn't killing jobs—it's saving rural economiesHow a bottom-five exporter plans to dominate international tradeWhat public-private partnerships look like when government stays leanWhat other states can learn from South Dakota’s approach to growth Subscribe to Bradley’s Newsletter:Join (for free) the only newsletter breaking down global demographic trends into actionable strategies for your business and your community.Subscribe here → https://populationnext.substack.com/Order Bradley’s Book:The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny: https://a.co/d/gmG6t2P Get in Touch with Jesse Fonkert:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessefonkert Get in Touch with Bradley Schurman: Website: https://populationnext.substack.com   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bradleyschurman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigschur/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyschurman/ Subscribe:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bradleyschurman?sub_confirmation=1