Report Finds Wisconsin Needs to be More Inclusive to Bring in Young Workforce

Thursday, June 29th, 2023 -- 10:01 AM

(By Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin is leading the Midwest in recruiting workers ages 18 to 26, with 90 percent of its net migration coming from Gen Z.

According to Joe Schulz with Wisconsin Public Radio, Madison is now one of the top-10 U.S. metros for Gen Z net migration as Gen Z workers make up over 23 percent of Madison’s workforce. That demographic, though, has a belief set that is rooted in being more diverse, that is rooted in this idea that everyone has a right to feel like they belong.

That’s one of the reasons employers and local economic development organizations are embracing diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, as a resource to attract and retain much needed young professionals, especially as the state’s population continues to age, threatening to worsen the labor shortage.

DEI describes policies that promote representation and participation of different groups, including individuals from different ages, races, ethnicities, abilities, disabilities, genders, religions, cultures and sexual orientations.

The University of Wisconsin System has recently faced scrutiny from Republicans in the state Legislature over DEI efforts. Last week, GOP lawmakers voted to cut state funding for the UW System by $32 million while forcing the system to eliminate nearly 190 DEI jobs.

But economic development groups in southeast, south central and northeast Wisconsin say making the state welcoming to people from diverse backgrounds is crucial to bringing more young professionals and people of color to the state.

If Wisconsin doesn’t improve efforts to attract and retain young people, its labor shortage could get worse by the end of the decade, according to a 2022 report by Forward Analytics, the research arm of the Wisconsin Counties Association.

If current demographic trends continue, Wisconsin’s working-age population could shrink by 130,000 people by 2030. The future of our economy and the future of our workforce depends on aligning with this younger workforce demographic.

A new report by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state’s largest business group, said Wisconsin was one of only 14 states with a median age over 40, and that the state needs to attract more people due to low natural population growth.

And a 2016 article by WMC President Kurt Bauer alluded to the need for Wisconsin to promote itself as inclusive to attract and retain people of color and millennials. He cited a survey the organization commissioned that showed "many people from outside the state see Wisconsin as intolerant."

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