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Brain Drain Continues

These guys seem really proud of their study. 

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that although Wisconsin suffers a slight loss overall of college-educated residents, the drain is mostly among graduates in their 20s. In fact, the state has net gains among college grads in their 30s and 40s.

“That’s a heartening development,” said John Karl Scholz, an economist and co-author of a working paper on the research. “If it continues, that’s clearly a source of strength for the state, because clearly college-educated people in their thirties and forties are likely to be putting deeper roots in the community, and that’s a good thing. The trend is good.”

The state’s chief labor economist agrees.

“To me, that’s exactly what we want,” said Dennis Winters, chief economic adviser in the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. “It tells me that Wisconsin is everything we’ve been telling everybody it is. It is a great place to raise kids.”

Is that really what we want?  A net loss in college grads?  You know, college grads in their 20’s are an asset to any state.  They are vibrant and willing to take risks on new ventures because they don’t have a family to feed.  They pay property taxes and other taxes for schools and such that they don’t use.  Older college grads are great too.  They make more money, but their kids use the schools and other resources. 

So why can’t Wisconsin attract both groups?  Why is a net loss of college grads considered “exactly what we want” just because they are younger grads?

The brain drain continues to be a problem, but it looks like Doyle’s administration thinks it is “exactly what we want.”

Posted by Owen at 0930 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

1. I blame it all on bloggers calling funding for public universities, “slop.”

   Why would young, vital college grads stay in a state where they are not valued?

   Ten years down the road, when they see what a fine place to live Wisconsin is and how cheap it is to live here compared to New York or LA they come back to settle down.  By then they’ll have developed a thicker skin so the ravings of Suder, Fitz, Special K and the Cheddarsphere won’t be so hurtful.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 03, 2007 at 1603 hrs
   
   
   

2. Yes, grumps, more spending automatically equals better education and the blogosphere, which has only been of any marginally significant influence for the past 2 or 3 years in Wisconsin, is responsible for a brain drain that has been going on for decades. 

   Oh, and Doyle is a fiscal conservative too. 

   We all have our fantasies.

   Posted by Owen on September 03, 2007 at 1633 hrs
   
   
   

3. Owen, why such a dim viewer?  Grumpier than Grumps!  Early onset of seasonal affective disorder?

   Winters’ quote looks a bit out of context, for one.  And then, there’s a way to read it positively, y’know.  Actually, the whole darn story is positive compared to the previous understanding that the college grads left and never came back.  But because it’s a study by the UW, all you can say is that they’re “really proud of themselves.” 

   Well, yes, questioning accepted “wisdom” and actually researching it rather than blathering about it does seem a worthy contribution.  Defining the realities is a significant step toward defining what to do about it.  Many a misstep has been made, and many a dollar misspent, aimed at the wrong targets with the wrong program, based on bad data.  So this gets the state better data on the “brain drain” to do something about it—rather than target the wrong group that is returning, anyway.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 03, 2007 at 2226 hrs
   
   
   

4. Young grads leave Wisconsin because there are few good jobs available here for them.  Generally, Wisconsin businesses do NOT like “trainees.”

   After they’ve had a couple of jobs, they return to Wisconsin—NOT for the taxes—but because they have family and friends here.  And since they are no longer “trainees,” Wisconsin companies will actually hire them.

   That may stop, dead, in the next 6 months are the real estate problem gets worse.

   Posted by dad29 on September 04, 2007 at 0737 hrs
   
   
   

5. A future relative is heading off to Chicago and I congratulated him on the move. He is bummed out as he really wants to work here. But as I told him, put in your 18 months in Chicago and the local HR rubes will be fighting to hire you because you are “from Chicago” and you’ll make more money than if you slogged along in Wisconsin.

   BTW Dad, I’ll bet the housing market it going to take it on the chops worse in other state, especially on the coasts.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 04, 2007 at 0804 hrs
   
   
   

6. Too true, kr.  Several of my family members have returned and have been hot hires here, because they were hired from the East—although they were born and raised and went to school in Milwaukee.  The inferiority complex of those doing the hiring here, who see our locals as inferior unless and until they leave, is a real problem. 

   One thing I have heard is that those of us who stay here must not have “initiative” to leave—when it actually takes a lot of initiative to stay and fight the good fight for our hometowns and state, rather than run for the coasts.  It also can indicate better long-term planning by those of us who plan on having families and look ahead to the problems of states with lesser schools and lesser opportunities for spouses as well as our children.

   And there is so much more to be said about why some of us stay—but not to the hiring folks with inferiority complexes.  WMC with its love of surveys might do well to do one that tests what happens when two fine job candidates come before the folks doing the hiring and they take the one from elsewhere.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 04, 2007 at 1435 hrs
   
   
   

7. Sorry Kay. The only surveys WMC loves to do is how horrible this state is so they can scare their members into submission and feed their parrot over at TMJ that lives in the echo chamber.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on September 04, 2007 at 1440 hrs
   
   
   

8. KR, it doesn’t make a difference where the housing problem occurs; if one has to sell a house to relocate, it will be tough to sell the house, period.

   THAT’S what will make relocations difficult, because most folks can’t keep up 2 mortgages for 6+ months.

   Posted by dad29 on September 05, 2007 at 0621 hrs
   
   
   

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