Another Ringing Endorsement for the Burgh (Pittsburgh, Lawrenceville: employment, high school, college)

[Blackbeauty212]

Foreign Workers Flee Silicon Valley | NBC Bay Area

Pittsburgh has the most educated immigrant labor force in the nation, says Brookings

[BrianTH]

Our immigrants are in fact awesome. Few in number, but great contributors to the region on an average per capita basis.

So if we could figure out how to double our the immigration rate while keeping the immigrant mix approximately the same, it would be a huge boost to our regional development. Unfortunately that would probably take some changes in federal immigration policy--but on the plus side, people are starting to talk about the relevant sorts of changes.

[Fiddlehead]

Thank you. Thank you. I have been counseling young folks who want to move to Oregon to check out Pittsburgh. So much better for a person starting out. Funny, I don't know if I have changed anyone's mind. That branding again. But, it seems the smart ones are catching on. Good for you all.

We keep attracting layabout bongo slappers and Range Rover driving yoga instructors (admittedly fewer in number), but then we do have a reputation to uphold...

[BrianTH]

I don't mind some filtering for migrants who prioritize practical factors like cost of living over following the hippest trends. For that matter, I don't mind some filtering for migrants who prioritize those factors over having the most prestigious employer or highest possible salary. Pittsburgh doesn't have to be the right place for everyone, just for a small minority, in order to get on a sustainable and health growth path. And I kind of like the practical, unpretentious, not-such-a-ratrace vibe of Pittsburgh as it stands today (probably because that fits so well with who I am).

[Fiddlehead]

Oh come on, you know you want some of these....
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0fVacnZ-gJ...d_hipsters.jpg

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

Oh come on, you know you want some of these....
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0fVacnZ-gJ...d_hipsters.jpg

Sexy.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

Oh come on, you know you want some of these....
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0fVacnZ-gJ...d_hipsters.jpg

Been to Lawrenceville lately? LOL!

[Caladium]

I'm not sure the Silicon Valley article is a ringing endorsement of Pittsburgh--it sounds more like a warning, IMO. Here's a quote:

"At least 30 percent of the country’s working-age immigrants, regardless of legal status, have at least a bachelor’s degree, while only 28 percent lack a high school diploma.

If they took our jobs, it's because they were more qualified. And were OK with living in Cleveland."

So the way I read it, people are moving in who are more qualified, willing to take lower pay, and willing to compete with the local population for jobs. And not just the undesirable jobs. Those with college degrees are going to be competing for professional positions. Is it a good thing? Maybe, maybe not. Pittsburgh will get more diversity, which is a good thing, and having more residents with degrees can be a good thing, too. But, it may not be good news for local people looking for a job.

[Blackbeauty212]

Originally Posted by Caladium

I'm not sure the Silicon Valley article is a ringing endorsement of Pittsburgh--it sounds more like a warning, IMO. Here's a quote:

"At least 30 percent of the country’s working-age immigrants, regardless of legal status, have at least a bachelor’s degree, while only 28 percent lack a high school diploma.

If they took our jobs, it's because they were more qualified. And were OK with living in Cleveland."

So the way I read it, people are moving in who are more qualified, willing to take lower pay, and will compete with the local population for jobs. Those with college degrees are going to be competing for professional level jobs. Is it a good thing? Maybe, maybe not. Pittsburgh will get more diversity, which is a good thing, but it may not help the local employment situation.

Local Employment situation?

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

Foreign Workers Flee Silicon Valley | NBC Bay Area

Pittsburgh has the most educated immigrant labor force in the nation, says Brookings

I read the two articles, also the Brookings report itself. As usual, the "back story" is a little different from the headlines, which of course are not written by the authors of the articles, anyway. There is nothing to support "foreign workers fleeing Silicon Valley". There is no sentence stating that Pittsburgh has the most educated immigrants in the nation, although the "skill ratio" (something of the Brookings Institute's own devising) is highest for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh also has the second lowest immigrant population percentage, at 3.0, above only Jackson, Mississippi. As an immigrant population increases, the skill ration will naturally decrease.