Wanted: A young and restless workforce

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By Richard Halicks

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

What sort of person do cities and metro areas most want to attract? If you described yourself, you were right – as long as you’re between 25 and 35ish and hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Preferably in a technology field.

Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com Alex Chu, 25, responds to email based questions in the Game Masters customer support and service room at CCP Games in Stone Mountain. The average age of a CCP worker is 28. Even amid steep unemployment and an abysmal housing market, one way for Atlanta to ensure a bright future is to attract the young, the talented, the cool — the so-called "creative class."

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That particular demographic is known as the “young and restless” or the “creative class.” Cities want these folks because they bring energy and vitality and new ideas with them. And they’re self-replicating: The young and restless attract more of the young and restless. And the more you attract, the cooler you are.

Austin, Tex., with its music scene, large university and concentration of tech companies, is Young & Restless Central. So is Washington D.C. Atlanta has a large contingent of the creative class, but it’s not in the same league with many other cities.

Coolness is tough. You either are or you’re not. And as one expert told the AJC, if your city has to have a marketing campaign that tells people how cool it is, it’s obviously not cool.

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