The Oklahoman · 20 Sep, 10:04 · Business briefing

Oklahoma ranks top 10 for business bankruptcies despite startup boom

What it means for you ↓ Courses for this story

26%average salary uplift after a professional certificate

2.7xfaster promotion for certified professionals

71%of leaders prefer candidates who upskill continuously

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The briefing

The story
in brief.

What happened, who it affects, and why it landed on our intelligence desk — in plain English, sixty seconds or less.

Recent reports from The Oklahoman highlight a paradoxical economic landscape in Oklahoma, where the state has entered the top ten nationally for business bankruptcies despite a concurrent surge in new startup formations. This divergence suggests that while entrepreneurial activity is robust, many new ventures face immediate financial distress or operational failure. The data indicates a challenging environment for business sustainability, characterised by high entry rates coupled with significant attrition. For professionals, this signals a market where agility and financial prudence are critical, as the gap between launching a business and maintaining its viability appears to be widening considerably.

Employer demand for Finance and Accounting skills — indexed growth since 2019
Indicative index of skill mentions in professional job postings for the field this story moves (2019 = 1)

Your move

What this means
for your career.

Every headline redistributes opportunity. Here is who this one rewards — and how to be on the right side of it.

This trend demands that you prioritise financial resilience over rapid expansion. Skills in risk assessment and cash flow management become paramount, as the ability to navigate insolvency risks separates surviving firms from those that fail. You should focus on strengthening your understanding of corporate finance and legal compliance to protect your career and any ventures you undertake. If you are in leadership, scrutinise your organisation’s burn rate and stress-test your business models against current market volatility. Smart professionals will upskill in financial modelling and crisis management to anticipate downturns. Whether you are an entrepreneur or an employee, demonstrating the ability to safeguard organisational assets during turbulent periods will significantly enhance your employability and strategic value.

For this story, the fields that convert it into pay are Finance and Accounting, Risk Management Strategies, Crisis Management and Business And Management — exactly the programmes matched below. The chart shows the indicative salary uplift certified professionals report in each of those fields; every one of them is a click away, from £79, finishing in as few as 20 days.

Indicative salary uplift in the fields matched to this story
Indicative ranges from published continuing-education salary studies, by field — each field is a recommended course below

Matched to this story

Enrol in these
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