It has been said that demography is destiny. Young, healthy populations have better odds to grow their economies and develop consumer markets, therefore attracting investment and jobs. Subsequently, a stable job market leads to a growing economy that allows both businesses and governments to fund innovation and fuel even more growth. A great article about this was written in 2010 just as we were beginning to climb our way back from financial crisis and the Great Recession. As the article suggests, North America – and the U.S. in particular – is positioned very well for the next several decades.
As economic developers, we not only have to focus on the immediate opportunities of growing the economy, but what future challenges we are likely to face. Job creation is always at the top of the priority list, and for some excellent insight into what is next, the World Economic Forum has formed a Global Council on the Future of Jobs to help analyze and debate the future of job creation around the world.
While it can be difficult to get your arms around the need to create 600 million jobs by 2030, the same issues being discussed in both articles are important for local and state economic development leaders to study and debate.
One Columbus Update
- This week, the One Columbus team is hosting consultants and companies evaluating the Columbus Region.
- Our team wishes you a happy holiday season and a prosperous 2015!