Consultant: State needs to woo younger workers

The American workforce has a distinguishing characteristic: its hair.

With nearly one-fifth of workers reaching retirement age by 2020, gray hair, white hair or no hair at all define workplaces around the nation. Six years from now, there will be two employees eligible for retirement for every one person entering the workforce.

When it comes to population, Montana is the fourth-oldest state in the nation. Many fear that if the state doesn't attract young workers, a labor shortage is a real possibility within the next decade.

But it's nowhere near a hopeless situation.

Rebecca Ryan, founder of market research company Next Generation Consulting, said there are things the Flathead Valley can do to attract young talent and become a community of choice.

A consortium of civic and government groups collaborated to bring Ryan to Kalispell. Thursday afternoon, Ryan told an audience of 400 that a changing economy and changing demographics were creating a talent war.

Not long ago, manufacturing companies like GM, Ford and Boeing were the top players in the U.S. economy. Today, Google and Microsoft lead the pack.

The economy has shifted from being a goods and resources-based industry to an innovation-based industry, she said. These jobs are fueled by knowledge workers and require training.

"It requires you bring not just your brawn but your brain to the office," she said.

Young professionals are the primary workers in the new economy, she said, and their values differ from those of older workers.

Employees from Generation X (those born between 1961 and 1981) and the Millennials (born between 1982 and 2001) are free agents. They're tech-savvy.

To them, a "cool community" is just as, if not more important than a good job. More believe they'll see a UFO than receive Social Security.

Most importantly, Ryan said, young professionals want to live first and work second. It's not uncommon for people to find a place to live, then find a place to work.

"And you are so lucky," she told the local crowd. "You have the natural amenities that appeal to this next generation."

BUT NATURAL amenities alone aren't enough, Ryan said. More often, communities have to change in order to attract young professionals.

Ryan's company helps communities assess how attractive they are to young professionals. Scores rank community in seven indexes.

The first index, vitality, is based on quality of life and dedication to the environment.

"You guys kick butt in this index," Ryan said.

Other indexes consider earning, opportunities for learning, diversity, ease of travel, things to do after work and cost of living.

"You don't have to be great in all of these indexes," she said. "But you can't be failing in any of them if you want to win the war for talent."

Attracting young professionals isn't just up to the community, though. Individual businesses also need to look for ways to become companies of choice, or "next-generation companies," Ryan said.

Next-generation companies understand that success comes when the satisfaction and interaction of companies is as important as that of customers.

Work has to have meaning, she said. The company's mission needs to be linked to employees' values. Employees also need to get the recognition they deserve for the work they do. Ryan urged companies to give employees a say in company decisions and to provide them with opportunities for growth.

If the Flathead Valley hopes to attract young talent, individual companies and the community need to be willing to change.

To illustrate her point, Ryan shared a story from early in her career.

A few years ago, the New York Times asked her to help the newspaper figure out a way to increase circulation among her generation, Generation X. Ryan's team did the research and came up with three things the Times could do to make its paper more appealing to younger readers.

First, she suggested, it could develop younger voices for columnists and have people write about issues that are important to this generation. Second, they should add color. The MTV generation wouldn't be drawn in by all the gray. Finally, they could put a summary of the news on the front page and make readers turn inside for the full stories.

Ryan was excited when she finished her pitch, certain the suggestions would help the Times achieve its goal. The board members, though, were shaking their heads. Somewhere along the line, they said, there had been a miscommunication.

"We want to increase circulation among your generation," one man said, slowly, emphasizing the words to be sure she understood. "We don't want to change the paper."

Ryan shares that story now to stress that communities might need to think outside the box to attract young talent.

"If you want this community to be really sticky for the next generation," she said, "you might have to change the paper, not just hope for better circulation."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com