Challenge of Talent Attraction in Small and Medium Urban Areas: Case of Valmiera City, Latvia

Abstract

In many European countries, the population is declining, and among the urgent issues of city leaders and planners, and the European Commission is the question of how to make cities flourish. For business and technology to develop, cities need to attract talented people from other cities and countries. Until now, talent research has mainly focused on talent development in organizations and little on talent attraction in big cities. The topicality of this chapter is a research of the situation on attracting talent in cities with a population between 20,000 and 50,000. This article identifies the factors that are important to talented people in deciding to move to another city. The research is a case study of the economically developing city of Valmiera in Latvia with a population of 23,063. The study included 28 in-depth semi-structured interviews and the university alumni survey (n-81). The results reveal that the differences in choice factors are mainly determined by the stage of human life—the beginning, middle or maturity of family life and career. The literature research indicates a major role of the international dimension in attracting talent. The research shows that the respondents mentally support openness and the acceptance of strangers, but these statements are contradictory to the positive attitude in the feelings towards a “small, family-like, familiar, safe” city.