This morning Jamie and I attended a presentation by Policy Matters Ohio on the economic prospects that face young Ohioans.? The talk entitled Young and Broke painted a bleak and discouraging picture for young Ohioans.? Issues such as employment and earnings, paying for college, health care coverage, and the cost of raising a family all make it extremely difficult for young Ohioans to create a comfortable living after graduation.? For example, the unemployment rate among Ohioans age 20 to 24 is 16 percent, and those who do have a job have seen a 42 percent decline in median wages in the last couple decades.? These are hard numbers to hide and ones that help to explain why so many young people want to leave the state after graduation in hope of finding of a job.? In Losing Ohio's Future, a report from 2009 that looked at why college graduates flee the Buckeye State, we reported that nine in ten Ohio students said good job opportunities were very important to them, but only 11 percent give Ohio an excellent rating on this front. ?Today's presentation reiterated this fact.? The lack of job opportunities in Ohio coupled with today's turbulent economic environment creates a grim picture for young Ohioans hoping to stay here for the long haul. Needless to say, as a young Ohioan I left this presentation a little depressed!
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