Job opportunities, not taxes, tend to be top of mind when people choose to leave or come to Nebraska, says a researcher and workforce data expert at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Josie Schafer, who heads UNO’s Center for Public Affairs Research, called brain drain and movement in or out of the state a “complex calculus” involving multiple factors.
But, she said that across several measures and data sets, jobs and professional growth rise as the major motivation driving migration patterns.
“We see a clear job focus when people leave the state,” she said.