Business Group Looks To Young Professionals To Stop Their Peers From Moving Away

The top agency for creating jobs in Wisconsin is tackling the state’s so-called “brain drain” in a new way. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is enlisting the help of those it hopes to keep from moving out of state: young professionals.

WEDC is teaming up with groups of young professionals located in six Wisconsin cities: Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Appleton, Kenosha and Wausau.

Rebecca Deschane is legislative liaison with the agency. She said they hope to retain young talent that thinks there are better opportunities elsewhere.

“We can’t compete with Austin or some of the major metropolitan areas but we have so many unique assets here in Wisconsin and so many great employers that people can really identify with,” she said.

Deschane said demographic data indicates Wisconsin is seeing a net loss of young professionals between the ages of 21 and 34.