Key Indicators

Nine key indicators were derived from the literature and used to assess the content of the policy documents and answer the research questions. Each indicator represents a common strategy found in the literature to attract and retain youth. The thematic indicators were divided into two broad categories: general policies to attract and retain talent and built environment policies to attract and retain talent.

4.3.1 General Policies to Attract and Retain Talent

The first category of indicators, general policies to attract and retain talent, was included to answer the following research objective: document and analyse the economic development policies implemented by local municipalities, economic development institutions and post-secondary institutions to counteract the loss of human capital. Three key indicators were used to address this question: 1) partnerships, 2) employment opportunities 3) education and training.

Partnerships help key community stakeholders combine resources and share knowledge, skills and experiences, in order to strengthen the region’s economy, promote

knowledge transfer and foster innovation in the knowledge economy (Leibovitz, 2003). The partnership indicator was set out to identify what policies are in place to support industry and community partnerships with the post-secondary institutions, with the view that strong partnerships help raise awareness of local opportunities and build students’ ties within the community.

The literature review revealed that employment opportunities are the most commonly regarded factor influencing graduates’ mobility. Young graduates are attracted to regions with numerous high paying jobs and a strong labour market. The employment indicator was set out to determine whether policy makers have followed suit by implementing policies geared towards providing graduates with appropriate employment opportunities that will encourage them to start and develop their careers locally.

The strong presence of education and training in the literature indicates the importance of post-secondary institutions in the spatial distribution of human capital. Educational institutions play a large role in fostering innovation and advancing economic development by providing the skilled workforce necessary to attract investment (City of Hamilton, 2010). This indicator identifies which institutions discuss the provision of continuing education and ongoing training to maintain and attract a strong workforce.

4.3.2 Built Environment Policies to Attract and Retain Talent

The second category of indicators focuses specifically on the various components of the built environment that play a role in talent attraction and retention. This category builds on the research question discussed above and addresses the following research objective: analyse whether and to what extent these policies discuss the role of infrastructure, design and the built environment in fostering investment and development. There were six key indicators used within the built environment category to address these research objectives: 1) research parks and business start-ups, 2) housing, 3) infrastructure

and transportation, 4) arts and cultural amenities, 5) quality of life, and 6) city size and location.

The research parks and business start-ups indicator establishes which institutions promote talent attraction and retention through the availability of facilities, funding and support services, that foster the development and growth of new businesses. These small business services are said to support entrepreneurship and enhance the city’s attractiveness to the new generation of talent by promoting job creation, which in turn stimulates local economic growth. Business incubators and research parks were not initially flagged as key factors influencing graduate’s locational decisions due to their limited discussion in the literature; yet, this indicator was added as they are the most commonly discussed strategy used by the selected institutions to attract and retain human capital.

Housing costs and costs of living were one of the most commonly discussed factors in the literature on talent attraction and retention, and were therefore selected as one of the key indicators in the policy document analysis. The housing indicator assesses which institutions discuss the provision of adequate, affordable and quality housing to attract and retain human capital. The availability of quality housing and the cost of living can have a large impact on where graduates decide to locate. City-regions want to provide attractive residential environments that meet the changing needs of the creative workforce.

As the literature suggests, the effectiveness of the transportation network is an important factor in talent attraction and retention (Grant & Kronstal, 2010; Hansen et al., 2003 & Martin-Brelot et al., 2010). Individuals seek areas with efficient transportation networks free of congestion, easing the commute to and from work. The infrastructure and transportation indicator was developed to determine which institutions consider infrastructure and transportation in their strategic plans for attracting and retaining talent. Infrastructure includes: transportation infrastructure (airports, marine ports, rail infrastructure and roads), systems for the delivery of water, power and waste disposal services, cross-border infrastructure, business and industrial park infrastructure,

telecommunications infrastructure and energy infrastructure. It is important for city- regions to develop the infrastructure needed to attract human capital and promote growth. Such strategies include implementing the necessary infrastructure to offer shorter commute times, accommodate a diversified and mobile labour market, and meet the needs of local businesses.

The arts and cultural amenities indicator assesses which institutions consider the use of cultural amenities for attracting and retaining talent. This concept is based on the work of Richard Florida (2002b), who stressed the use arts and culture amenities as a magnet for attracting and retaining the human capital necessary to foster a region’s economic prosperity.

Quality of life was commonly discussed throughout the literature as a means to attract and retain the creative class. These ideas stem from the work of Richard Florida who advocates creating vibrant communities, rich in culture and fostering a strong quality of life, as it is said to draw knowledge workers. The quality of life indicator examines which institutions foster and promote their region’s quality of life as a means of attracting and retaining youth.

As indicated in the literature, the city’s size and location relative to provincial, national and international networks impacts its ability to attract and retain talent (Lepawsky et al., 2010). This indicator sets out to identify which institutions draw youth to the region by promoting the regions’ location relative to other major city centers and transportation networks, as well as its geographic and population size.