Tell a friend...
10 days left until the republican primary and we need your help.
Youth Retention
We have an obligation to create and environment where our youth can find exciting and rewarding opportunities without leaving Michigan. As Governor, I will create a globally competitive economic environment that generates good jobs and revitalize our communities to provide the quality of life our young people seek. -Rick.
Retaining and attracting young talent involves refocusing development around economic and quality of life issues. Young people are fleeing the state at an alarming rate, and it’s time to get to the heart of the problem. Jobs that are meaningful and lasting need to be created so that young professionals have the right motivation to make a long-term commitment to being in the state of Michigan. There also needs to be a renewed focus on making changes that will improve a young person’s quality of life outside the workplace. This will serve to increase the chances that our youth choose to grow roots in Michigan and start their own families.
Outmigration By The Numbers |
465,659 : Net loss of Mich. population since 2001 |
18,000 : Net loss of adults with college degrees in 2007 |
12,000 : Net loss of school age kids in 2007 |
$1.2billion: Net loss in paychecks in 2007, due to outmigration |
Table 1 : Michigan's Outmigration Dilemma |
Michigan’s talent drain makes economic recovery more difficult. Michigan’s youth are going to Chicago, New York, Seattle, Washington D.C., and other major cities, taking the state’s future economy with them. In 2007 alone, Michigan sustained a net loss of 18,000 young people holding college degrees. Those leaving the state had incomes 20 percent higher than those who moved here. This change represents more than $100 million in personal income tax revenue that the state could have received and an overall net loss of $1.2 billion in paychecks.
Jobs and vibrant cities are critical to keeping youth in Michigan. The first priority for state government to help keep youth in Michigan is to create the best environment for young people to find jobs and an exciting living environment. A business friendly and globally competitive Michigan will provide the career opportunities young workers desire. Cities should offer youth leadership roles so they can help shape their growth and uniqueness.
Investing in Michigan’s youth is an investment in Michigan’s future. The state should establish public-private partnerships to connect willing leaders in various sectors of Michigan’s economy to young workers in mentorship programs. Michigan should offer financial incentives to young professionals who choose to live in its cities and to employers that are willing to include tuition re-payment programs as an employee benefit. State government should also create a Michigan Fellows program that will engage the young in policy making.
Rick Snyder is the leader who can make Michigan a hotspot for young talent. Rick Snyder made the decision to stay in Michigan largely because experienced professionals reached out to him at an early point in his career. He was given the tools and encouragement to be successful and has taken what he has learned and passed it along, mentoring young people in a variety of fields and helping them grow, both as professionals and as people. Rick is the best candidate to reinvigorate our workforce with dynamic young adults who will take the reins and reestablish Michigan as an attractive place to live, work and prosper.