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July 19, 2021

CT making play for young professionals with new website, outreach efforts

By Zachary Vasile

The state Department of Economic and Community Development has launched a new website with the aim of showcasing and promoting Connecticut’s strong points for young professionals.

The page, www.CTForMe.com, and an accompanying Instagram account feature original and curated content such as videos, first-person testimonials, statistics, news stories and networking resources, all designed to highlight Connecticut’s economic and cultural advantages. State officials said the content will focus mainly on themes of particular interest to young, educated people, including walkable cities, open spaces, arts, sustainability, employment opportunities and diversity.

Alluding to the influx of New Yorkers into Fairfield and Litchfield counties seen during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Gov. Ned Lamont said the state has a window to capitalize on changing work-life preferences and draw more people to the state’s cities and suburbs.

“We know that this last year has had a major impact on where people across the country want to live and work, and Connecticut’s open spaces, smaller cities and top education and healthcare systems are becoming more attractive now more than ever, including among young professionals,” Lamont said. “This is the perfect time to highlight all the great and unique things about Connecticut.”

DECD officials said content generated by or posted through CTForMe will be shared through social media, digital marketing and search engine marketing. The department is also working with employers, businesses associations and other groups to integrate CTForMe into their recruiting and retention efforts.

The CTForMe site underwent a “soft launch” in January and since that time has run up over 78,000 page views.

Connecticut has struggled to attract and retain working-age adults since the economic downturn of the late 2000s. Data from the U.S. Census shows that more than 200,000 people have left Connecticut since 2010, though the state’s overall population has remained steady due to arrivals from other states, particularly New York, and from other countries. In general, Connecticut has tended to lose residents to Massachusetts and Southern states such as Florida.

Younger people in particular appear to be setting out West, to states such as Colorado and Arizona, and this trend is reflected in Connecticut’s median age, which has grown progressively older over the last decade.

It remains to be seen if the social disruptions of the pandemic — which seemed to push young urban professionals out of major cities and toward homeownership in less built-up areas — will have a lasting or continuing impact on Connecticut’s demographics.


 

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