Posted on 06/29/2006 9:42:37 AM PDT by presidio9
New England states will face a shortage of educated young workers if demographic trends continue, according to a study to be released today, a shift that could exacerbate business leaders' worries about the region's workforce.
The report, by scholars at the universities of Massachusetts and Connecticut, finds that each of those states stands to lose tens of thousands of young workers holding at least a bachelor's degree by 2020, a period when the same critical workforce will grow in other regions.
``This new finding should heighten everyone's concerns about the region's long-term economic vitality," concludes the report, which was sponsored by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, a Quincy philanthropy that promotes access to colleges and universities.
Moreover, the working-age populations of both states, plus those of Maine and Rhode Island, will shrink over the same period, the report found, in contrast to the growth expected in Sun Belt and Western states. Businesses will be particularly anxious about the lower numbers of skilled workers, said study co author Stephen Coelen of the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis in Storrs.
``You can look at this any way you want to and you'll find we have lost population, which is going to make it harder to be competitive," Coelen said in an interview yesterday. ``We've constantly been talking about this trend since the 1990s, but we have never had data that show we're on the precipice as much as we're seeing this now."
The report comes as some of the largest companies with headquarters in Massachusetts, such as mutual-fund giant Fidelity Investments and data-storage maker EMC Corp., increasingly are adding employees in other states and countries, amid worries they have tapped out the workforce in a state that census data show is growing slowly.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Heretic.
That is classic! Stone him. :)
and COLD winters....
I would love to visit MA, especially Boston and Salem/Danvers for the history, perhaps even do 2-3 weeks of it in the summer since I am planning on being a history teacher after graduation and I would have lots of time in the summer (though not as much as many think...teachers, at least the good ones, don't really have the summer off. Crappy teachers do, however, and that is why they don't go up in the payscale).
But, I am rambling. My point is, I would love to visit, and the countryside has to be beautiful. But, I could not stand to live there.
My hats off to Freepers from MA.
The good news is that this exodus will increase the red state political power, without really impacting the conservative nature of the states much.
Of course, some states like Colorado will attract so many of the blue-staters that they will begin to make the red state blue, but in most cases, I think the overall impact of this migration will be a positive for the GOP since the impact in most states will not be that bad, not even close.
Salem sucks for the most part, Danvers is a bedroom community, Boston can be cool, go on a tour with a guide in Salem or Boston. I worked with one of the Proctors from witch trail fame, a commie, for real, my family hit the beach in Salem and left immediately for Conn.
More like harder to tax the intellectuals to pay for their bloated social spending...
Will you? With Cherrystones? I'm getting hungry.
Come, and bring your money with you. We can tax it, and give it to the dirtbags who will beg from you the whole time you walk down the freedom trail.
Mass is full of whack jobs. I am far from Boston, but just down the road from Amherst--which is worse. Thank God I live in the only conservative enclave in the area. Every year or so they try to override the tax limits, and the old folks vote it down. Gotta love that!
Salem is great on Halloween. Where else do you get to see a bunch of drunk lesbo's falling all over each other. Oh wait....that would be Northampton or Provincetown. Nevermind.
Wow, a real Commie. I have never met one.
sounds wacked out. Maybe I could not stand two weeks....but I would at least like to see the historical Puritan homes etc.
Despite what the MSM reports, younger people lean conservative. These are the Xers and Generation Reagan kids, who survived the latch-key & divorce era from their selfish parents. They're moving to the South and West, low-tax states to build strong families.
Massachusetts is a beautiful state to visit, particularly in summer. I would caution against driving, both for the poor signage and the lack of patience and consideration from other drivers.
Salem has a nice waterfront but I would say that much of the colonial history has been overlaid by early 19th century prosperity which has since been overlaid by commercialism and witch kitsch. But if you know in advance there's something you'd like to see, go ahead... and it is a pleasant enough seaside town to visit, close to Boston.
My Brother and I were out Boozing one night, a popular pass time in Salem, an there was a Pentagram with candles on the sidewalk on Essex Street.
Thanks for a nice post. If you're interested in history, be sure to check out Lexington and Concord in the northwestern suburbs, and the Freedom Trail downtown.
"New Englanders who experience reality, and decide that they will be better off in a Red State will, I am sure, become good Conservatives if they are not already."
Sheesh, as long as you're dreaming, can I have a Lamborghini? It hasn't worked in Florida for retirees, and it hasn't worked in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington for Californians.
These people f up every place they go. They're like locusts.
And the globe still spins about its axis. Go figure . . .
I stand by my statement. You can blame it solely on the city if you'd like, but the fact is your entire state is ****ed up.
Be honest: how much time have you spent outside the city of Boston in the actual state of Massachusetts?
A nice take on the situation, x. Thanks for the post.
Boston and vicinity is certainly worth a visit for the history. Salem isn't too bad, at least the historical/touristy parts are clean and safe. I've been going there for 11 years without any problems. A good rule for Salem is to turn back as soon as you stop hearing English being spoken.
Summer is an okay time to visit although the weather can be hot and nasty at times. The best time would be September/October--probably the best weather of the year and you catch the fall colors.
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