One of the topics that came up at our recent Power Breakfast titled “The Talent War II” was where employers can go to find some untapped pools of talent. While Des Moines’ unemployment rate is hovering above 2%, that’s a measure of people who are trying to work but have not been hired. It still, of course, indicates a tight labor market, but it doesn’t accurately reflect those who have not been enticed to look for a job, those who are not currently looking but perhaps could be available, or those who have given up. 

Here are two pools of talent to consider: Your own retirees and working mothers both in other major metros and in our own. 

Vermeer Corp., for example, has engaged its retired workforce as trainers, and in some cases has used them internationally to train. The retiree gets some meaningful work and, most importantly perhaps, free travel. Vermeer gets to help distribute its company culture and best practices with some of its most passionate and loyal former workers.

And as for working mothers, last fall James Chung, president of the New York-based research firm Reach Advisors, shared data-backed reasons Des Moines is outperforming other comparative metros. (Watch his presentation.) When asked what we could do to accelerate population growth here, he pointed to working mothers because our data shows Des Moines in comparison with other cities is particularly conducive for women who want a high-powered career and family life because we rate high on  quality of life measures. 

While chatting with a few attendees afterward, we wondered about what type of incentives or initiatives as a community we could invest in to specifically target that demographic ? both externally and here in the region. One idea: subsidized day care.

Many countries, including Japan, Sweden and Australia, have a subsidized child care program, but according to an article in CityLab, many owe their inspiration to a program that began more than 20 years ago in Quebec, Canada. The program there has had some success, while lagging still in other areas that it intended to positively affect. However, here’s a nugget from the piece: “One of the most remarkable changes has been the employment rate of mothers of young kids, which has spiked dramatically since the start of the program. … Since beginning the program more than two decades ago, Quebec has seen the rate of women age 26 to 44 in the workforce reach 85 percent, the highest in the world.”

What if we marketed (and backed it up with policy) Des Moines as the best city in the world for working mothers (and fathers, for that matter)? We offered incentives for businesses to locate here coming out of the recession; what if we offer incentives to families? 

Admittedly, this needs more thought, as the unintended consequences of incentives always need to be fully considered.