Falling Behind: Migration Changes & State Workforce

A new report issued on April 15, 2019 by Forward Analytics, Falling Behind: Migration Changes and State Workforce, reveals troubling trends for the future of Wisconsin’s workforce landscape.

“Wisconsin has too few young people to replace retiring baby boomers over the next 15 years, so the state must turn to migration to grow its workforce,” said Forward Analytics Director of Research Dale Knapp. “However, during 2010-2015, the state lost population among key workforce groups, with the most troubling being the net outmigration of young families, a group that Wisconsin typically attracted.”

The report shows that the ability of a state to naturally grow its workforce over time can be measured by comparing the number of residents under 16 years of age to the number who are 50 to 64 years of age. Many in this older group will likely leave the workforce over the ensuing 15 years and be replaced by those in the younger group. The larger the ratio, the greater ability to grow the labor force.

Get a PDF copy of the report, Falling Behind: Migration Changes and State Workforce, here.

See a media release on Falling Behind: Migration Changes and State Workforce, here.