State Officials Speak On Panel About Brain Drain

State officials and leaders from several Indiana tech companies held a panel discussion Thursday on Indiana’s efforts to retain highly educated workers. Nearly 200 people attended the event in downtown Indianapolis. 

The panelists speaking on so-called “brain gain” efforts included Indiana Career Connections and Talent Secretary Blair Milo and Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Fred Payne. They briefed the audience on state efforts to create skilled workers, many of them in partnership with the public education system.

Bill Stephen, vice president of government relations from Indiana University, was the moderator. He says attracting and retaining skilled workers represents a significant challenge for the state.

“There are at least 85,000 unfilled jobs in our state,” he says. “Unfilled because the employers can’t find skilled or qualified workers to fill those jobs. There’s other data that suggest that the number is even greater.“

Other panelists included the CEOs of Ascend Indiana and TechPoint. Both expressed some concern about the slow speed at which public policies could address gaps in the workforce.