A new report sheds light on the barriers and opportunities for rural workers to stay and thrive in their hometowns. The Generating Rural Opportunities in the Workforce (GROW) report found that workers in rural areas are more than twice as likely to feel limited in their employment opportunities—35% compared to 14% for those in cities and suburbs. Sixty percent of rural workers think pursuing a career is out of reach.
Nearly 70% of rural workers would leave their community to pursue employment, compared to just over half of workers in urban and suburban areas. Additionally, almost two-thirds of rural Gen Z workers and over half of rural millennials feel held back in their careers because of where they live. Amanda Weinstein, the research director at the Center on Rural Innovation, emphasized that people want access to economic opportunity where they live.
The rise of the “knowledge economy” and increase in technological jobs has disproportionately negatively impacted people living in rural areas, mainly because these areas lack the technological infrastructure that larger cities have developed. The rural tech gap is shrinking; according to the Pew Research Center, 73% of rural residents now have access to home broadband. However, this still trails behind urban (77%) and suburban (86%) residents with home broadband access.
Weinstein explained that rural workforce development has also lagged. With the expansion of remote work, rural workforce development needs to refocus on national and global opportunities, not just the local labor market needs. Raghu Krishnaiah pointed out that there’s an employment cliff looming due to the retirement of the baby boomer generation.
Barriers hindering rural workforce growth
Companies can benefit from investing in the rural workforce. According to Krishnaiah, rural workers are just as optimistic about the future of their careers as their non-rural counterparts (68% vs.
71%). However, they aren’t as optimistic about being able to stay in their hometowns for their careers. “If we can find solutions and put them in place, rural workers will be able to meet their career expectations much more easily,” Krishnaiah said.
Weinstein noted that rural residents are highly interested in entrepreneurship, but there is often a mismatch between their interests and the tools and opportunities available to them. Businesses, schools, and the government need to collaborate to open pathways to economic opportunities for rural residents. Continued investment in broadband infrastructure is part of the solution.
Additionally, building professional social capital is crucial. About half of rural workers reported needing to develop skills to build a professional network, and about 40% cited not having access to the right tools and resources to achieve their career goals. Initiatives such as building formal and informal mentorship programs and hosting local networking events can help.
Employers and institutions can also assist rural workers in connecting with the right pathways for skills development and fostering entrepreneurship, according to the GROW report.
