Editorial: To make the “good lists,” we need to do better

Moret, now at Strada, a national education nonprofit, focused on the talent pipelines that he and Abernathy dubbed the path forward. In terms of a sort-of-bad list, Moret noted that Louisiana’s growing job sectors reflect the state’s traditional workforce strengths — petrochemical manufacturing and industrial construction — but those are slow-growth areas in terms of overall employment.

Nationally, the criteria of a “good place to do business” have shifted dramatically in the last 20 years, Moret said, with businesses focusing more on whether they can attract and retain a quality workforce to succeed.

“Today, this is the most important thing,” Abernathy added.

That’s something Louisiana doesn’t do particularly well. While Moret praised the current governor and Legislature for making solid investments in higher education, Louisiana has more colleges for its population than almost any other state — making it difficult to fund the system properly because dollars are spread across the state.

The notion that “educational attainment would equal jobs and growth” has hurt Louisiana, Moret said. Businesses continue to see us as a state whose workforce has low overall levels of schooling — so they look to other states for expansion.

Key takeaways from the presentation: The state needs a long-term effort, with the business community taking a key role, in moving up the “good lists” in various ways.

A complex and convoluted tax system and political squabbles over sales tax collections have been LABI’s traditional focus, but the two experts say talent pipelines can make the difference in both the perception and the reality of Louisiana. No state, Moret said, effectively counsels its students, particularly those from low-income families, about college and career readiness.

Many students from better-off families get such counseling at the family dinner table, but it will take many more college- and career-minded young people to fulfill the talent needs and expectations of growing businesses.