× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

The rollout of the “Think. Make. Happen.” initiative at the Future Wisconsin Summit is the latest effort to pitch Wisconsin as a place for young workers to find opportunity, to put down roots and to balance life and career.

That three-word bumper sticker is shorthand for think big, make your mark and anything can happen in Wisconsin. It’s an ambitious initiative that will focus on young people already here as well as those who live elsewhere – in hopes they will check out what Wisconsin has to offer.

Wisconsin has a demographics problem. Economists and other experts have warned about a looming shortage of workers for years, and the crunch has finally hit home. Many companies can’t find enough young workers to replace retiring “baby boomers.” Even if those employers can find workers, they don’t always come with the skills required for the job.

The core problem is raw numbers. Assuming current trends continue, Wisconsin will have more retired workers than active workers within 15 years. Part of the problem is tied to a lower birth rate, part is “brain drain” or out-migration and part is a low attraction rate for workers who live elsewhere – whether that’s Indiana, India or many places in between.