New study casts doubt on 'brain drain' worries
DATELINE: MONTPELIER Vt.
A new study concludes that Vermont leaders may be worrying too much about a "brain drain" in which educated young people are moving away, because many of those same people hope to move back.
"Growing Vermont's Next Generation Workforce Report," created by TIP Strategies and Next Generation Consulting, in association with the Vermont State Data Center, finds that grim population statistics don't tell the whole story.
In the 2000 U.S. Census, Vermont ranked last in the country for population of adults aged 25 to 29. It fell to last from 35th place in 1990, as the number of Vermonters in that age range fell 13 percent during the decade.
While those numbers raised concern, the new study points to some of the state's strengths in maintaining its workforce.
And Vermont is not doing worse than other New England states, the study found. Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut all lost 25- to 29-year-olds faster than Vermont did, with decreases ranging from 15.5 percent to 25.5 percent in the same period.
David Juvet, a vice president with the New Hampshire Business and Industry Association, said a study conducted in his state produced the "troubling" finding that the population of 18-25-year-olds was dropping. In both New Hampshire and Vermont, those leaving cited the high cost of housing as one factor in their decisions.
"(New Hampshire) does have an influx of people in their mid-30s and 40s moving into the state. I presume that people see it as a good place to raise a family," Juvet said.
The data show similar trends in Vermont. Vermont ranks well among states for residents in their 30s and 40s.
David Silvernail, director of the Center for Education Policy, Applied Research and Evaluation at the University of Southern Maine, said research in his state found similar results.
Those young adults who stayed in Maine did so for social and personal reasons, while those who left were primarily motivated by career concerns.
The Vermont report suggested what the state may be seeing is less a matter of "brain drain" than "brain circulation."
"Most young people have the need to leave the nest, and they come wandering back," said Rebecca Ryan, founder and CEO of Next Generation Consulting in Madison, Wis.