Boston chamber leaders confront state's crippling outmigration

BOSTON — The startling outmigration of 182,000 residents from Massachusetts in less than a decade is a glaring warning sign that the city has lost its edge, chamber leaders warn. It's not economic armageddon; it's more of a landslide of losses piling up fast. 'We need to adjust to the new realities of the post-COVID world, and we've got to take action now,' said Miceal Chamberlain, the new board chairman of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. He sat with the Herald to declare that the staggering cost of housing, scary-high heating bills, and an overall lack of competitiveness must be tackled in unison. He's the Bank of America president of Massachusetts and a Northeast Regional executive. Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce President & CEO James Rooney joined him. They both declared a shared love of Boston, but also a fear that the urgency is lacking while the numbers continue to plummet. —The big shocker is that the Bay State lost about 182,000 residents to domestic outmigration in the first five years of this decade, the Pioneer Institute reports. It's called the 'hollowing out' of the workforce. —In 2025, that tide added up to 33,000 people. Immigration has helped, but that has slowed as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal residents. —When you factor in the money leaving, that's $14.8 billion in adjusted gross income lost to other states since 2020, Pioneer warns. —The state's millionaire's tax accounted for $4.18 billion in lost adjusted gross income with Florida and New Hampshire alone grabbing $2.75 billion of that. Pioneer reports, again. —New Hampshire, Florida, Rhode Island, Maine, California, and New York are some of the exit ramps from here. Chamberlain and Rooney are pitching an idea: ramp up the competitiveness immediately. Texas, New Jersey, and North Carolina are being aggressive about swooping in and luring Bay State residents and businesses, so fight back. 'One of the lessons for this summer is you're going to have vibrancy when people come here,' said Rooney. He was alluding to the back-to-back draws of the World Cup matches in Foxboro and the Tall Ships in Boston. The bars and restaurants were packed and the fans from Scotland, Norway — especially — created a buzz that could last years. Both chamber leaders want Boston to go after an NBA All-Star game, the NFL Draft, and the World Cup for hockey. They say the Greater Boston Sports Commission has been established to do just that. 'We need to be promoting Boston as a city that can host world-class events,' said Chamberlain. 'We have to be more nimble.' He said a Competitiveness Council has been established on Beacon Hill to look at streamlining permitting and tax incentives to help start-ups — a strength — stay local when they want to move to manufacturing their ideas. Boston will always have an advantage in medical and university prestige. But that can't alone stop the outmigration trend. The chamber leaders said housing and heating must be solved simultaneously. With fall on the doorstep, that's a bill due that is pushing people south. That's what's driving young talent away, they fear. That and remote work options where lower taxes and easier heating bills elsewhere make it a no-brainer to try your luck in another state. The days of cranes in the sky under Mayor Tom Menino and Mayor Marty Walsh are gone, the chamber duo said. The Seaport is built out, but that doesn't mean city, state and business leaders should stop working to keep people in the best city on the planet. 'We have all the ingredients we just need to adjust to the new realities and move now or we will see atrophy and attrition,' said Chamberlian. 'I believe in this place. We just need to work together.' Rooney said he wants the 'Massachusetts story to be told.' They both sat down in the chamber office high up on the 17th floor overlooking Boston Harbor on an early September clear day when you could see the boats cutting through the surf all around the islands. A post-Labor Day reset, they said, is needed more than ever. Uniting the business community from Boston to Worcester — another key link they say is lacking — can convince people to give Massachusetts a chance to pivot out of the pandemic. 'We need to provide the workforce necessary for the 21st-century economy,' said Rooney. 'We just have to find the balance again.' -----------