IT IS A WELL-ESTABLISHED fact that Massachusetts sits at the top of many lists which rank how we compare to other states – on healthcare, on education, on the economy (not to mention our sports teams). And by many of these measures, we have historically done well.

But it is also well known that we are an incredibly high-cost state – not only to live, work, and raise families, but also for businesses to operate. The effects of COVID on the workplace, together with the already-high cost of living and doing business in the state, makes it extremely challenging to recruit and maintain the skilled workforce that is essential to growth. As a result, the long-held belief that Massachusetts’ talent base would always anchor our economy is breaking down, and the concentration of high-skilled jobs that tethered our highly educated workforce to Massachusetts has begun to fray.