PursueVT

Rumor has it some people think I was a little harsh in my earlier post about the PursueVT campaign to attract young college grads back to Vermont.  So, I decided to look at the program with fresh eyes. I took a look at the group’s new web site, cruised their job posting, and read every word of their foundational document, the Next Generation Workforce Discovery Report. In the end, I stand by my initial judgment.

The campaign seeks to do nothing more than mitigate “perceived obstacles” and leverage “existing mechanisms for attraction.” Translated, this means they intend to whitewash issues like low wages and high taxes by appealing to the emotional attraction of the natural beauty of the Vermont landscape. Vermont Tiger commenter Jack Harding captured this position succinctly, “poor works if you have a nice view.”

The Next Gen report demonstrates the State’s complete acknowledgment of the real, underlying problems and their willingness to divert attention from these issues to seduce young grads away from the relative prosperity of neighboring states. For example, the report notes “The state’s estimated individual “tax burden” of $11,600 per capita placed Vermont in 15th among the 50 states in 2006.” This is an interesting claim because a Tax Foundation report based on U.S. Census Bureau data showed Vermonters are the most heavily taxed people, per capita, in the entire country. Regardless, the actual (#1) or imaginary (#15) tax status of Vermont is something any would-be migrant should be aware of.

Or how about Act 250? The report says businesses involved in the study feel Act 250 is “very costly” and “not predictable.” The report goes on to say “achieving a balance between responsible growth and potentially burdensome regulation will continue to be an important issue in the state.” Indeed. But apparently it's not an issue would-be migrants should worry themselves about.

The report also cites the high cost of the state's social programs. Specifically, the high cost of health care. These additional costs, along with the exceptionally high marginal tax rate and the unpredictable and costly Act 250 regulations, create a challenging business environment. It would seem the real problem, then, is that few businesses can offer competitive wages with such onerous tax and regulatory burdens.  This isn’t a clever observation of my own, it’s right from the report which says “an analysis of wage data reveals that Vermont salaries lag behind the nation in many categories, including a number of professional jobs."

Somehow I doubt any of this was discussed at the recent recruitment effort in Boston. After all who’d want to talk about such a depressing subject when you're at a trendy club with free food and a snowboard giveaway?

Comments

[Gordon Smith]

I am not a young person (I am slightly less than 50), but I have a young family, and I have left Vermont for Austin, TX for greater opportunity, more money, and less taxes. I returned here Vermont for 2 years after being away for 25, and was hoping I could make a decent life here, but job instability has 'forced' me to look elsewhere (I am in the semiconductor industry). As it stands today, I would not encourage my kids to go to school or try to move to Vermont. And as a Burlington High and UVM graduate, I think that's a shame.