How does talent decide to relocate?

What are people looking for?

Talented employees with the right skills to fill open positions are in shorter supply than any time in recent memory. Many Milwaukee Region employers already are adapting to fully remote positions. In a recent MMAC Business Outlook Survey, 41 percent of companies said they are employing workers who live outside the seven-county Milwaukee region for roles that can be fully remote.

But, of course, there are a wide variety of roles that cannot be performed remotely. To fill in-person or hybrid roles, more companies may renew their focus on attracting talent from outside our region to relocate. And as companies refine their sales pitches to out-of-market employees, it’s important to understand how potential employees approach these decisions.

To be clear, Milwaukee has far too many citizens on the sidelines of the workforce right now, and MMAC remains engaged in efforts to expand the number of quality seats in our K-12 education systems, plus new efforts in the areas of upskilling and reskilling. But companies need to fill roles right now, meaning that out-of-market talent attraction is a necessary piece of the puzzle.

Recently, Susan Koehn, Vice President of Talent and Industry Partnerships, presented at Young, Smart and Local, a talent attraction and retention-themed conference in Greensboro, N.C. Here, we summarize some key takeaways from her presentation.

Top factors in making a move DCI, a national firm that specializes in destination marketing, recently published the sixth annual edition of TALENT WARS: What People Look for in Jobs and Locations, which identifies the top factors that talent considers when making a career or location change – including new and unique considerations driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For this study, DCI surveyed more than 1,000 people between the ages of 21 and 65 across the U.S. who moved to a new location at least 100 miles away from their previous residence in the past 24 months. The survey results provide a clearer picture of how people make relocation decisions.

DCI depicts the decision process as a funnel, where talent first experiences a trigger to consider moving, explores and evaluates one or more markets for relocation, then makes a final decision. It’s important to understand how relocation prospects work through this funnel and what information they need at various points to increase the likelihood they’ll consider a move to Milwaukee.

Note it is difficult to define what “quality of life” means to different people and understand how our region’s assets line up. DCI asked an open-ended question to get at specific features related to a positive quality of life. Good K-12 schools, outdoor recreation, safety, attractions/amenities, low cost of living, a vibrant nightlife, no congestion/traffic, and a sense of community were the most-cited features contributing to quality of life.

Evaluating a prospective new home town

As prospects move down the funnel, they tend to prioritize more practical factors about a location. Cost of living continues to be the top consideration, followed closely by the availability and cost of housing in a new market. Does Milwaukee have an advantage here over large metros like Chicago or Minneapolis?

Another key area where the business community can help provide information is availability of alternate career opportunities within a prospect’s field and also for trailing partner/spouses. To make the leap to a new job and new city, prospects want to see an abundance of “plan B” options as well as long-term career advancement opportunities within the market.

DCI’s survey data continues to show that job related factors are still top considerations in talent’s decision on whether to relocate but – since the pandemic and the blurring of lines between work and home – characteristics about the location and work/life balance have grown in importance.

Perspective of the region

The Milwaukee Region already has several employers that do out-of-market talent attraction fairly well. But as we expect more employers to focus in this space, MMAC and the Milwaukee 7 Partnership for Economic Development have a role to play.

Internet research has long been an important factor for prospective employees considering relocation, and that only became more important during the pandemic.

With this in mind, MMAC and M7 currently are developing a website – or “digital front door” – to help sell the Milwaukee Region to potential relocating employees. We also are studying the possibility of establishing a network of local ambassadors to engage with out of market talent, both as they’re considering a move and after they move here.

At the Young, Smart and Local conference, we heard great examples from other regions on out of market talent attraction efforts. But whatever we do must be unique to the Milwaukee Region and fit our specific needs. As we build resources, we will work closely with local and state government agencies, along with VISIT Milwaukee; in the DCI survey, 52% of respondents reported that prior to their most recent move, they consulted the local or state tourism website. We’ll also be soliciting your feedback as employers.