Boston's brain drain could soon turn into a real headache, a new survey suggests, with one out of four young professionals considering jumping ship from the Hub in the next five years despite most being content with life in the city, according to data gathered by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Foundation and its City Awake program, as reported by NBC Boston.
The exodus is underpinned by stratospheric rents and the elusive nature of home ownership, coupled with a workplace that's seen as somewhat stingy on the pay and promotion front, the survey, which included responses from 823 young adults residing in Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk counties, spelled a clear trend and that trend points to a significant share plotting their departure, according to the survey—these data points align with another report from CBS Boston.
On tap from Beacon Hill, Gov. Maura Healey's $4.1 billion housing bond bill might just be the prescription for the housing production ills and a tax credit lifeline for businesses hiring local interns may keep some young talent in play, but the legislature's still sitting on their hands without a clear game plan.
Demographics slicing the data offer another peek into who’s staying put and who's not, Black women and LGBTQ folks sketched out their exit more conspicuously than others, while Asian American and Pacific Islanders along with management types appeared to be sticking around; it's the young people of color who are catching the worst of the T's troubles, cramping their style on the daily which might well be read as a subway map of the city’s racial divide, a connection mentioned in both NBC Boston and CBS Boston coverage.
Quality of jobs and the dollar signs on the rent checks and price tags of homes are what the Chamber Foundation has emphasized as top of the to-do list for those with the political power to court young residents, ensuring that the Bean’s brew remains as attractive a proposition for living as for visiting.
