America's heartland needs workers
By 2037, 67% of America’s counties will have fewer prime age workers than they did in 1997, according to a new report from the Economic Innovation Group. And these declines — which are expected to hit small cities and rural areas harder than larger coastal cities — are poised to hamper economic growth, reports The New York Times’ Neil Irwin. One option that might help, according to the EIG report: Offering “heartland visas” to skilled immigrants, who would commit to work in a struggling area in exchange for a path to permanent residence.