ATLANTA – The loss of local talent will doom communities that don’t have a plan to stop the hemorrhaging of young people, says the head of the state’s Chamber of Commerce.

“Talent is the defining issue for economic development going forward,” Chris Clark, president and CEO of Georgia’s chamber, told a group gathered Wednesday for an education forum sponsored by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education.

“Many of our communities didn’t keep up,” Clark added. “They didn’t make sure they have great schools. They didn’t make sure that their colleges continue to do well. And one thing they did is they let all their kids move away and never come back home.”

Clark said Mercedes-Benz’s move to Atlanta proves that the jobs will follow younger workers, with the company factoring in millennial preferences when choosing a site for its new headquarters.

It’s important, Clark said, for local communities across the state to adopt strategies to attract and retain millennials, all while looking ahead to the generation coming up behind them.

If communities do not work to entice younger workers, many rural and midsize areas are expected to continue to lose jobs and the tax revenue needed to sustain public services.

Already, about half the state’s counties are considered distressed because of their shrinking economies.

Clark said he is encouraging communities to develop plans for preparing students for the types of jobs that will likely exist for them locally, whether through industry growth or the greying of rural Georgia. Nearly 1.5 million job openings are expected over the next decade.

“Little Decatur County in southwest Georgia, they grow enough food to feed all of Gwinnett County all year with more food left over,” Clark said. “What are we doing to make sure that when those folks retire that people are going into those jobs?”

Healthcare, construction, and professional, scientific and technology jobs, in particular, are expected to be in demand. So are jobs in advanced manufacturing, film, agriculture, and logistics and transportation.

“We’re not telling our kids the opportunities that exist in their own community,” Clark said. “Shame on us. Instead of telling every kid, ‘Go away and fly,’ tell them, ‘Go away and come home.’”

Having a statewide talent and workforce development plan is a key part of the solution, Clark said, adding that voters should press candidates for state offices and Statehouse seats to articulate their plans for that.

Jill Nolin covers the Georgia Statehouse for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Reach her at jnolin@cnhi.com.