The Spec's Meredith MacLeod reports:
'Young people say they like Hamilton because it's affordable and they
can get a good education. But the city risks losing talented
professionals because of a perceived lack of job options, nightlife and
vitality.
A report presented at a community forum yesterday
concluded that on only one measure did Hamilton rank as well positioned
to compete for next-generation, under-40 talent compared with seven
Canadian "peer cities." That measure was social capital, which looks at
how open, safe and accessible a city is to all people.
On measures of nightlife, ability to get around town, cost of living, vitality and earning potential, Hamilton ranked average.
Perhaps surprisingly, given its range of post-secondary institutions, the city ranked below average on learning.
Overall,
Hamilton ranked fifth among the eight cities, with a score across seven
indexes of 4.86 out of 10. Hamilton was behind Calgary, Halifax,
London, Ont., and Saskatoon and ahead of Kitchener, Windsor and Oshawa.
The
study, called Destination Hamilton: Values and Perceptions of Next
Generation Talent, drew a clear line between the reality in Hamilton
and what the city is perceived to offer.
While a lack of
quality jobs is the primary reason cited by young people who have left
Hamilton or don't intend to stay, the study actually found the city
compares well to its peers in terms of median income, levels of
entrepreneurship and proportion of workers in the knowledge economy.'
What do you think?
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