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June 01, 2010

Young, Smart and . . . in Michigan? You’re Not Alone

One of the "I Will Stay . . " messages from the Great Lakes Urban Exchange


Michigan’s shortage of educated and talented young people is a common discussion topic among those in business and something we discuss frequently through the Let’s Save Michigan campaign.  And for good reason. The fact that 46% of Michigan’s college graduates are leaving the state isn’t just an inconvenience for people who want to socialize with their friends or Michiganders who want to see their kids and grandkids. It has a real impact on the economy especially for businesses that need a talented workforce to compete in a global economy.

Offering the types of communities where people want to live matter to the economy. In a recent Lansing State Journal (LSJ) article about the overall growth of East Lansing-based Jackson National Life (JNL), the company’s spokesperson Tim Padot said JNL picked Franklin, Tenn. for a new regional office over 44 other communities “because it has a large, well-educated labor pool and a high quality of life.”

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100526/NEWS03/5260326/Jackson-National-expands-business

Similarly but in a more direct and negative sense for Michigan, when Comerica Bank relocated its headquarters to Dallas in 2007, they didn’t cite Michigan’s tax rate or structure but its inability to attract the talented workers necessary to stay competitive in a global marketplace.

While most assume young people are leaving Michigan because of a lack of jobs, the census findings over the past decade show that 2/3 of young professionals are moving to where they want to live first before looking for work. And often Michigan is simply overlooked because we don’t seem to offer the communities with the type of lifestyle that these people crave or people assume they can not find work here. 

Joe Chahine, a sales manager for TDS Metrocom, echoed these sentiments last week at a job fair in Lansing that attracting young talent is difficult in Michigan because of a perception issue.

As someone looking for college graduates to fill open positions, he said it's been difficult to bring in people from the outside who are energetic and qualified. Chahine thinks Michigan's stigma of having no jobs for graduates - brought on, in part, by its 14 percent jobless rate, the highest in the nation - means those grads leave the state before really looking at what opportunities are available locally.

"I'm hoping with meeting college grads I can attract that talent," Chahine said.

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100526/NEWS03/5260310/1004/news03/ 

I've had similar experiences talking to college students across the state that say they plan on leaving Michigan because there are no jobs but then admit that they haven't actually looked because they assume based on the unemployment rate there aren't any. Or the individuals who say they crave an urban experience but admit they have never been to Grand Rapids or Detroit. Don't get me wrong, the job market is stiff and the Motor City is not the Windy City, but don't rule out Michigan before your search even gets off the ground.

For those people witnessing the exodus of young people, fear not. Despite the throngs of Michiganders clustering in Chicago or the Pacific Northwest, there is no shortage of people who want to keep talent in the state. In addition to the Let's Save Michigan campaign, here are websites of some of our favorite initiatives working on turning Michigan into a place where young talent wants to work, live and play. This is by no means an exhaustive list but a starting point for reviving Michigan and attracting and keeping young people here.

  • http://gluespace.org/iwillstayif/  A truly grass-roots organizaton of young people networking across the Midwest to let the leaders of Rust Belt communities to know that “I will stay if…”
  • http://wkar.org/reworkingmichigan/  Videos and resources examining job creation and work force evolution in Michigan.

  • http://www.youngsmartglobal.org/  A community for entrepreneurs and innovators seeking to build creative and enterprising communities. “Satellites” in Lansing and Grand Rapids.

  • http://www.grandriverconnection.com/  Mid-Michigan’s largest young professionals networking group that hosts free monthly events at cool community spots. No need to BYOB, most events feature free hors d’oeuvres and a mini-bar!
  • declaredetroit.wordpress.com/ Detroit Declaration; a movement led by young people trying to transform Detroit and Southeast Michigan thru reform around 12 core principles for creating more desirable and livable city and region.

 


The introductory video for the Detroit Declaration

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