Regional News
Iowa Fighting 'Brain Drain'
Published Friday, March 28, 2008 at 09:19 AM
Like many Midwest 20-somethings, Chris Diebel left for Los Angeles after graduating college here. Unlike many of them, he came back. Convincing educated former residents like Diebel to return has become a priority for nervous Midwesterners worried about a brain drain of educated young professionals. Iowa Democratic governor, Chet Culver, is taking an especially vocal approach to the problem because concerns are so high about a looming state work force shortfall. Economists predict that within five years, Iowa -- a state of 3 million people -- will have 150,000 more jobs than workers. If the trend is not slowed or reversed, the gap could widen even further and companies unable to find workers might leave the state or drop plans to set up shop here. In hopes of retaining college-educated residents and attracting out-of-staters, several Midwest states have turned to the place where many young people feel most comfortable: the Web. Nebraska has created a social and career networking Web site and young alumni clubs for college graduates. And, in part to entice graduates to stay, the state created tax incentives for companies that create at least 75 jobs paying significantly higher-than-average wages. South Dakota, meanwhile, has created a public-private group called Workforce 2025 to better market the state to college graduates and link them with job opportunities. The state also created Dakota Roots, a Web-based job search program designed to entice former residents to consider job opportunities in the state. Neighboring North Dakota has started programs to help private companies offer internships, and the state assigns employees to promote careers in North Dakota to high school students. And Kansas has enacted programs geared toward luring former residents back to the state, including Hire Kansas Talent, a collaborative effort of career services offices within the state's four-year public universities. The problem in Iowa is especially vexing: The state ranks last in the country in the retention of college graduates, with fewer than half opting to stay in the state. Wisconsin, in comparison, retains 80 percent of its college graduates. After holding meetings across the state, the Generation Iowa Commission offered a host of recommendations to the Legislature, including tax credits to help Iowans pay off student loans, merit-based scholarships to attract and retain top students, and programs to train people in occupations facing the greatest shortages. The report also calls for increased support for quality of life amenities, but the commission chairman said money and jobs were clearly the top priority for young Iowans. The commission also recently launched a Web site -- an online jobs and networking site -- that Carlson said would provide more information to young professionals in Iowa. All the effort is focused on people like Diebel, who was drawn back to Des Moines from California by a combination of economic and less tangible factors. Still, he knows many people who moved to Minneapolis or Chicago, cities that have a Midwestern feel but offer a faster pace than anywhere in often-sleepy Iowa. Some return to Iowa when they get a little older, but Diebel said the state should keep people from leaving in the first place. Culver expressed confidence that the Legislature would act on the Generation Iowa Commissions recommendations, but lawmakers acknowledged there were limits to what the state can do, especially during an economic slowdown.
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