DES MOINES, Iowa - Like many Midwest 20-somethings, Chris Diebel left for Los Angeles after graduating college here. Unlike many of them, he came back.

Convincing educated former residents like Diebel to return has become a priority for nervous Midwesterners worried about a brain drain of educated young professionals.

Iowa's Democratic governor, Chet Culver, is taking an especially vocal approach to the problem because concerns are so high about a looming state work force shortfall.

Economists predict that within five years, Iowa - a state of 3 million people - will have 150,000 more jobs than workers. If the trend isn't slowed or reversed, the gap could widen even further and companies unable to find workers might leave the state or drop plans to set up shop here.

"We must reverse this trend, and our economic future depends on it," Culver said.

In hopes of retaining college-educated residents and attracting out-of-staters, several Midwest states have turned to the place where many young people feel most comfortable: the Web.

Nebraska has created a social and career networking Web site and young alumni clubs for college graduates. And, in part to entice graduates to stay, the state created tax incentives for companies that create at least 75 jobs paying significantly higher-than-average wages.

South Dakota, meanwhile, has created a public-private group called Workforce 2025 to better market the state to college graduates and link them with job opportunities. The state also created Dakota Roots, a Web-based job search program designed to entice former residents to consider job opportunities in the state.

Neighboring North Dakota has started programs to help private companies offer internships, and the state assigns employees to promote careers in North Dakota to high school students.

And Kansas has enacted programs geared toward luring former residents back to the state, including Hire Kansas Talent, a collaborative effort of career services offices within the state's four-year public universities.

After holding meetings across Iowa, the Generation Iowa Commission offered a host of recommendations to the Legislature, including tax credits to help Iowans pay off student loans, merit-based scholarships to attract and retain top students, and programs to train people in occupations facing the greatest shortages.

The commission also recently launched a Web site - an online jobs and networking site.