Wisconsin's Migration Patterns Threaten Workforce

A study observed a steep decline in net migration of families with children to Wisconsin, which could imperil attempts to sustain the state's aging workforce, reports the Associated Press . The Wisconsin Counties Association's Forward Analytics research branch asserts that the state lacks sufficient young people to take over jobs from baby boomers who are retiring or who will be retiring in the next 10 to 15 years. Former Gov. Scott Walker launched a marketing campaign in 2018 to try to entice millennials to Wisconsin, but Forward Analytics Research Director Dale Knapp advises the state to refocus on families that might want to settle there, citing quality schools, safe neighborhoods, and recreation as incentives. According to Knapp, U.S. states are confronted with an aging population and declining birth rates. "So we have to figure out what makes us different, what makes us more attractive than Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, or Minnesota," he says. "Our long-term economy really depends on it."