In an election season dominated by doom and gloom about workers and the economy, some of this pessimism may ring true in Wisconsin, according to a new report by UW researchers.
In the report, the researchers from UW-Madison and the UW Extension said Wisconsin is faced with a disproportionate loss of talent caused in part by a low domestic immigration rate of people with college degrees.
In terms of educational attainment, Wisconsin has a strong high school graduation rate compared to both neighboring states and the rest of the country. However, only 28.4 percent of the Wisconsin workforce has a bachelor's degree or higher, ranked in the middle among upper Midwest states, according to the research.
Data also showed that instead of a "brain-drain," which is often cited as the reason for the state's talent loss, Wisconsin is actually experiencing a lack of "brain-gain." Wisconsin has lower out-migration compared to most states, including the states absorbing more workforce talent. It has an even lower in-migration rate, leading only six other states. This led researchers to conclude that the reason for the “brain-drain” is more likely due to the extremely low rate of in-migration.
Considering the low level of educational attainment of the workforce, the projected job growth through 2022 in the research also suggested a potential skill mismatch and job polarization. There are expected to be excessive low-skill jobs requiring high school diplomas and insufficient positions for college-educated people, which is arguably a reason for the state's low net migration rate of talents.
