Head-Hunting For Talent
It’s a war. No, not Iraq, a war between American cities to attract 25-34 year-old professionals to their town. Within 6 years, more than two workers will be leaving the workforce for every one coming in, and this college-educated demographic will be counted on to spark the future of the economy.
What draws these people in? Why choose one location over another? Studies show that such things as downtown living, multiple entertainment options, and public transportation rank high, as do opportunities in the entertainment, technological, and music industries. A diversified and tolerant population is also a plus.
How does a city such as Indianapolis stack up in this attempt to draw young, qualified professionals? Not very well. Crime is high in the city, and rising all the time. Living downtown is dangerous. Entertainment options are relatively few, unless you like to eat or visit a mall, and there is virtually no nightlife through the week. Nightclubs close at 3:00 AM, and are almost deserted after midnight. Public transportation is a joke in this city, which is built for automobiles. If you don’t want to drive, you have to depend on the high price of taxicabs.
While Governor Mitch Daniels has attempted to attract technological companies to the area, the entertainment industry has suffered under his administration, and the music industry has always been nonexistent here. The Indianapolis population is not very diversified, and the State’s leaders are trying to disenfranchise homosexuals. In addition, Daniels and Mayor Bart Peterson are political enemies, and the city’s well-being has become a pawn in games of one-upsmanship.
The young demographic is just not being sought out here. This is a group that seeks out location before job, not the other way around. And their chances of relocation taper off dramatically after they turn 35.
This city needs to reexamine its strategy for the future.
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