University student Jesse Hynes is about to graduate, but she is not leaving the state to get a job like many of her peers are doing – just yet.
As a result of many students leaving Louisiana, the state is experiencing what many refer to as a “brain drain,” a term used to describe students who receive an education in Louisiana but leave the state in search of better opportunities.
Hynes, history senior, plans on going to law school in hopes of getting a good job.
Hynes is one of many students under the impression that job availability in Louisiana is limited, especially after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“Pretty much the consensus among my friends is that they are going to law school or grad school,” Hynes said.
The notion that Louisiana does not have enough high-paying jobs has become all too real for many students.
Rhett Rentrop, 2002 landscape architecture graduate, said he had trouble finding a job in Louisiana when he graduated.
Rentrop said there is not much work in his field in Louisiana, but he found a lot of opportunities in Texas.
“The economy at the time was better in Texas and still is, which translates to more work,” Rentrop said.
Jim Richardson, director of the Public Administration Institute and former University economics professor, has been watching the trend of brain drain in Louisiana.
“If you graduate from this state, and you’re not bounded here, there are probably a lot of reasons to go out of state,” Richardson said.
Richardson said Louisiana’s population is not growing as fast as many other states, and the state’s economy reflects the population shortfall.
“The interesting thing is, if you compare Louisiana in terms of population growth from 1990 to 2000, is that our population grew by about 6 percent, but if you look at other states such as Arizona, North Carolina, Texas and Georgia, these states grew by 20 to 40 percent,” Richardson said.
And many of the states whose populations increased dramatically over the past 15 years are in the South.
“The growth has been in the South and Southwest, and there’s not one reason for that,” Richardson said.
Richardson said the hurricanes increased the brain-drain effect on the state.
“Katrina probably will contribute to that brain drain because a lot of the professionals in New Orleans had to leave,” Richardson said. “And there’s an enormous opportunity for them elsewhere.”
While Richardson said the hurricane has increased the brain drain, it is still possible to reverse the effects.
“Even before [Gov.] Foster our growth came in tourism, hospitality, healthcare, government and professional services,” Richardson said. “And we still don’t have a striking industry that gets people’s attention.”
Richardson said areas that are prospering have specific planning – and a little luck.
Richardson said Austin, Texas, is experiencing a technology-industry boom with companies such as IBM and Dell moving into the city. But he thinks much of this can be contributed to the fact that Dell founder Michael Dell is from Austin.
While many students are worried about the job outlook in Louisiana, some think there is hope for the future.
Roderick Hawkins, Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s deputy press secretary, told The Daily Reveille the governor recognizes there is a brain drain in Louisiana and is responding accordingly.
“The governor is trying to make sure there’s a valuable education experience and of course a good economy, which means good paying jobs with benefits that students can go into once they finish their college,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins also said Blanco is working to improve teacher and faculty pay, to ensure that the workforce and business growth “are happening” and to entice more businesses to come here.
But for now students are still looking for jobs outside Louisiana, and until industry grows, they may continue to move away.
 
Contact Elizabeth Miller at [email protected]