If you ask most Mainers, they will tell you there are not enough “good” jobs in the state. Paradoxically, many employers will tell you there are not enough skilled Mainers to fill the good jobs they have.

Most Mainers will also tell you that the state suffers from a “brain drain.” In other words, many of the state’s best and brightest students leave the state for higher education and then cannot afford to return.

According to a population white paper prepared in 2004 for the Maine State Planning Office, the effect is smaller than one may think: Overall, Maine was about average among states for in-migration of young adults between 1995 and 2000.

Between 1995 and 2000, the study found, 33 states lost young adults. Maine actually had a small net in-migration of young people, about 3,640, during that period.

But Maine did have a small net out-migration of college-educated adults, about 1,706, and that is certainly cause for concern.

As Maine’s population continues to age, the state’s ability to attract and retain young adults with families is extremely important. These are the people who will become the taxpayers, homeowners and community leaders of the future, and Maine needs more of them.

One rural state in a similar predicament has started a bold program to help solve the problem. “Dakota Roots” is a year-old job-recruiting effort started by South Dakota to help match former residents who have left the state with companies that need skilled workers.

Several other states, including North Dakota, Vermont and Iowa, have started similar programs.

The logic behind the programs is compelling: People who have left your state are the most likely people to want to return. And, as we know in Maine, many young adults eventually do return, and many others would like to – if they could only find a way to do so.

Iowa, according to a story in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, has used its program to bring 2,200 people back home.

Fortunately, most young people who leave a state don’t go far, ending up in nearby states. In Maine’s case, that would be Massachusetts, New Hampshire or Connecticut.

State programs usually begin reaching out to former residents through college alumni lists. Then they set up recruiting events in the other states, inviting former residents and home-state employers who need employees with certain skills.

Vermont, for instance, recently set up a gathering at a popular bar near Boston’s waterfront, featuring a jazz band and free food. South Dakota’s one-year-old program has returned 290 former residents to the state, and is working on returning another 1,100.

This is clearly an economic development tool Maine should consider: we need the young adults, employers need the employees, and there are thousands of Maine parents who would like to see their children and grandchildren return.