Terrific articles on Sunday in both the Grand Rapids Press and the Kalamazoo Gazette on the importance of young professionals to economic growth. Worth reading!
The Press’ article is part of their terrific Michigan 10.0 series. That the issue of retaining and attracting recent college graduates is now on their short list of agenda items that will determine how well Michigan does in the future is in and of itself a sign of real progress. Believe me, five years ago it was on almost no list of important issues facing the state.
As you know, we believe the question “what does Michigan need to look like so our kids choose to live and work here after college?” is one we believe should be asked of every candidate this year. Because that is the agenda the state and it’s regions should be working on as an economic growth priority.
Both articles assert that place matters along with employment opportunities. And that the place that matters most to young professionals is the central city. We couldn’t agree more. A central conclusion of all our research is that talent is what most determines whether a state is prosperous or not and the states that are the most prosperous are characterized by even more prosperous big metros anchored by vibrant central cities.
