NEBRASKA- After a year where remote work has become commonplace, it seemed timely and impactful. Collectively, it might have been the single greatest job creator rural Nebraska had ever seen.

Then I really thought through the local logistics of this proposal, which proved challenging. Not because of the effectiveness of remote workers, but because rural Nebraska already has unfilled jobs. Lots of them. In Valentine, for instance, we have more available jobs than people to fill them. It’s always been this way to an extent, but it’s especially pronounced post-pandemic.

Over a two-year period beginning at the start of the pandemic, Valentine will add more than 125 jobs through new business starts. Diverse jobs, too — agriculture, retail and tourism. As my friend at The Peppermill says on his marquee, “EVERYONE IN TOWN IS HIRING.” Right now, rural Nebraska needs new people more than new jobs. The biggest current benefit of a decentralized state employee strategy, oddly, would be the potential family members who would come and might be able to fill the open jobs out here.

Economic development has long used jobs as the primary indicator of success. We absolutely need jobs and must continue that push, but maybe we ought to shift focus for a bit to a strategy to attract people. After all, in today’s world, people can bring jobs with them.

This is a moment in time when people are reprioritizing their lives in a unprecedented way. It seems that there are two schools of thought for how people choose where they live — people prioritize careers and go where the opportunity exists, or people prioritize place and work to make a life there. Younger generations are starting to favor the latter.

This shift could really favor rural communities. Sprinkle in a shrinking broadband gap with wholesome people, and this creates a huge opportunity for Nebraska. To capitalize, we must continue making our communities places where people want to be. How do we do it? I’ll share our strategy: quality of life, a system for workforce development and housing. Lots and lots of housing.

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