Brain Drain
One of the major concerns of today's companies is the shortage of labor, especially in management. The baby boomers are nearing retirement age in the United States and the birth rate is dropping. These circumstances, coupled with the booming economy are the main causes of the labor shortage. There is a high demand for labor but the once seemingly bottomless pool of employees and managers that companies drew from has started to dry up. What are the factors that contributed to the problem and how are today's corporations going to handle this problem?
The type of labor needed in today's society has been undergoing a constant change. There is an increase in demand for workers but there is a much greater demand for educated white-collar workers, especially management material. Projections state that the growth in managerial positions will increase 20% by the year 2010 yet the population aged 35-50 will decrease nearly 10%. What these figures say is the already diminishing supply of executives is going to dwindle even more over the next 10 years. There is a shortage of blue-collar workers now and there will also be an even greater shortage of them in the future. In order for employers to find people who are willing to perform unskilled, repetitive jobs they are going to have to be willing to raise the level of compensation offered to employees. If McDonalds needs someone to flip hamburgers they better be prepared to pay double to triple minimum wage. There are a wide variety of employment opportunities and today's workforce can afford to be selective when choosing a job. The demand for employees is high while the supply is low.
The figures on the change in average population ages and growth in industrialized nations is beginning to make the corporate world stand up and take notice. If the trends continue as they have been for the past thirty years, the shortage of labor is going to continually get worse with each year that passes. The predictions from the United States Census Bureau state that between 1990 and 2000 the increase of the American population over 60 will be 10.5% but in 2010 to 2020, the increase will be 32.5%. The change in the 60 plus population in the United States is projected to nearly triple in thirty years. Compare these figures to the increase in under sixty-year-old population. From 1990 to 2000, t...
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... the economic obstacles caused by an aging workforce.
The companies of today are aware of the constantly growing problem and are working towards a solution. I think that they are moving in the right direction. Offering flexibility in what was once a very rigid structured hierarchy is certainly a step in the right direction. People in today's world lead very different lives than they did 4o years ago. A rewarding profession is not exclusively defined by the income generated anymore, rewarding can also mean personally rewarding. A good employee doesn't necessarily work 40 hours each and every week, some work part time or are involved in a job-sharing program. In order to keep the workforce meeting the needs of the economy, the employer must continue to become more flexible and remain open to suggestions. Today's companies are on the right track. I believe that with proper management and forward thinking, we will be able to cope with the ever-increasing shortage of labor.
Bibliography:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Newsweek magazine
Business Week magazine
The Economist magazine
St Petersburg Times Newspaper
The United States Census Bureau
Jackie Robinson changed the way baseball is looked at by Americans. Also, he broke a huge barrier in American History. Robinson helped get rid of segregation. He also, is down as one on of the most respected men in baseball history. Not only a wonderful ball player, but also a wonderful man who went through so much and helped create a path for current and future African American baseball players.
His period of trials and triumphs were significant to changing American perception for the Civil Rights revolution. By becoming the first African-American baseball player to play in the major leagues he brought down an old misconception that black athletes were inferior to white athletes. Successively his example would inspire those advocating for their civil rights, he lived out a message of nonviolence similar to the one Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived out. Despite the constant prejudice he faced in his sport, he was able to keep himself composed and never retaliate. Instead of fighting hate with hate, Robinson was able to gain the respect of his white peers for his calmness and his courage. In ending segregation in baseball before any other institution in America, Jackie Robinson demonstrated to American society that African Americans were to be treated with respect and dignity. Robinson was never afraid to speak up against injustices, on one occasion when a service station attendant refused to allow Robinson to use the restroom, Robinson protested by refusing to fill the bus’s 50-gallon tanks at that gas station (cite to pg 47). His protests are a foreshadowing of civil rights movements such as the montgomery bus boycott. Robinson’s moral indignation with the injustices in his world would serve to inspire
... impacted baseball and the nationwide civil rights movement. Jackie gave African Americans a sense of pride when he broke the color barrier in the MLB. By breaking the color barrier the civil rights movement became closer to achieving equal rights. Jackie’s on the field accomplishments are extraordinary, but his off the field involvement is what makes Jackie a special man. He was the man who innovated the civil rights movement with his non- violent actions which had an effect on later civil rights activists. Jackie led by example and because of his success many African Americans followed him. Jackie was not concerned with how he would perform in the MLB; he was concerned with how he would affect the civil rights movement and others lives and this showed when he said “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives” (Jackie Robinson Quotes).
...to his officer training school and completed as a second lieutenant. After he left the military he hit his baseball career with the Brooklyn Dodgers where his fight for breaking the color barrier began. Branch Rickey the general manager and Jackie Robinson had the same idea of allowing those with skill, no matter what color, into the MLB. After retiring from sports Robinson did not let his career in fighting for equality stop. He wrote letters to the incoming candidates for president and to leaders in offices to help the civil rights movement gain momentum. Robinson made sure that his opinion was well known. He also created the Jackie Robinson Foundation to help colored students who have disadvantages. Still, Robinson will always be remembered as the first African American man to play major league baseball and preserver despite the racism and disadvantages he faced.
...ame the vice-president for the Chock Full O' Nuts Corporation. He also served on the board of the NAACP. He created the Jackie Robinson Construction Company to build affordable housing for black families that did not have enough money. In the 1970s Jackie Robinson's heath got bad. On Oct. 15, 1972, he attended a World Series game in Cincinnati that celebrated the 25th anniversary of his breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. During pre-game ceremonies he said how he wanted to have a black manager to be hired for a team in major league baseball. Ten days later after the World Series game, Jackie Robinson died of a heart attack at his home in Stamford, Connecticut. Jackie will be remembered for his courage, determination, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and his excellence. He is an inspiration for many people that have a dream.
In the United States, there has been an increase in in the number of children from Spanish speaking backgrounds. The English Language Learners, commonly known as ELL’s, are being placed in Special Education without being properly tested for a learning disability. However there are a large number of ELL’s with learning disabilities in elementary grades that truly have a learning disability and are over looked. Many school districts have problems placing ELL’s. As a result these students end up in special education whether they have a learning disability or language impairment. Teachers are also indecisive when dealing with ELL’s. Most teachers recommend that ELL’s be placed in special education from day one. It is not because the child has a learning disability, it’s because most teachers are not properly trained to interact with ELL’s. Teachers also find it difficult, due to lack of training, having ELL’s with learning disabilities in their classrooms. More teachers would find their selves comfortable if they had training in dealing with ELL’s and ELL’s with learning disabilities. This paper discusses the issues and the concerns teachers have in dealing with ELLs and ELLs with disabilities, the challenges of identifying individuals with learning disabilities, and what type of assessments classify English Language Learners as having a learning disability.
Most proposed remedies have emphasized the quality of the labor supply. But improving education and training, while often worthwhile and necessary, is not by itself sufficient to raise earnings. If this downward trend, which has persisted through recession and recovery alike, is to be reversed, then policymakers and educators must address the demand side as well as the supply side. Raising young adult wages will require not only better academic performance, training, apprenticeships, and school-to-work programs, but also full-employment policies, changes in the configuration of jobs and careers, and larger young adult union membership. Prior to 1973, the annual and weekly earnings of both young adults and older workers had been improving markedly. Between 1967 (the year the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking weekly earnings of wage and salary workers) and 1973, the real median weekly earnings of 16- to 24-year-olds rose by approx i mately 8 percent. Since 1973, however, the earnings of young adults have fallen almost continuously. Between 1973 and 1979, the weekly earnings of young men working full time fell by 7 percent. Young men experienced a 19 percent decline in earnings (a real value of $72 per week) between 1979 and 1989. This decline cannot be attributed solely to business cycle contractions. About half of the 19 percent decline did take place during the recessionary period of 1979-1982. But between 1982 and 1989, a period of strong overall job growth, the weekly earnings of young men fell by another $33, or 9 percent. Earnings declined still more between 1989 and 1994, dropping yet another 9 percent. The result of all this decline? A young man under 25 years of age employed full time in 1994 earned 31 percent less per week than what his same-aged counterpart earned in 1973.
The report of Robert Reich: “Why the Rich are getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer,” is an eye opener and a warning for society regarding unemployment that it will be facing and is currently facing due to a lack of technology and education. It clearly articulates that the jobs of routine producers and in-person servers have vanished totally as modern techniques have replaced them. The author has stated that the only people whose jobs are on the rise are symbol analysts. As stated in the report, symbol analysts are the real problem solvers. Their skills are highly in demand worldwide because they are the ones who first analyze the problem and then solve it. The Hart Report, on the other hand, also states the same problem of unemployment and the global recession which has left employers focusing on employees not only with specialists’ skills but also a “broader range of skills and knowledge” (page 6-7). The Hart Report clearly reflects what the needs of contemporary employers are, but the question is whether it is the universities or the students themselves who fail to cope with the requirements of the contemporary world which is filled with technological advancement and critical thinking. The Texas Work Source has also played an important role in examining what is actually missing in today’s generation and the reasons behind such a great decline in employment. The central
The main themes addressed in this article are the generational changes within the workforce, the advancements in the economy that are affecting the workplaces and the changes in the work ethic of employees.
Since companies are spending more money on their employees, they will be more likely to lay them off and not hire new workers.
This includes Hispanics, females. Old citizens and immigrants as well. However, the immigration of younger and newer people to the US will play the biggest role in the continues trend in the job market. In many cases immigrants tend to start and agree to work on lower wages at least in the beginning. I personally think that it's too early to predict anything in regards to the workforce in the US. Not many years ago I was under the impression that the new technological advances and cheap labor overseas will eliminate many blue collar workers which was true to a certain extent although, now the trend is that many of the companies are migrating not over seas but in the towns within the US in order to explore cheap work force. Education is another factor in the creation of work force in the US the market is very competitive due to the type of demands that are necessary for big and small businesses. Since the United States have been a melting pot for the people of all cultures and societies around the world the corporations are in ever faster need to hire the people with the global expertise, people with the background in multilingual and multicultural education. That includes me as well and I can further educate myself to compete and stay the part of a work
Then the 1980’s arrived and we had a recession; this meant companies had too many people with talents (Semuels, 2013). Moreover, people started getting fired from their jobs.
Recently there has been a shift of long lasting and full-time employment in large and basic manufacturing enterprises to nonstandard and short time work in the firms and service sector. Technological changes have fostered much of this transition because most enterprises adopt such advances in technology so as to get a competitive advantage in the market. The effects of technological are somehow highly beneficial to workers, but it also brings job dislocation and trauma in other settings of organizations. The relations of labor occur inevitably at crossroads of all social and economic pressure for example privatization and deregulation of some industries (Bosworth, 2013).
You may have heard the topic raised on some morning show or another, but likely thought little of it. However, the figures are quite shocking. According to one author's research, '52 percent of skilled trades are expected to retire within the next 15 years, with 41 per cent of respondents indicating they will face a skills shortage in their industry within five years.'; (Arnold, par. 12).
In Today’s world, the composition and how work is done has massively changed and is still continuing to change. Work is now more complex, more team base, depends greatly on technological and social skills and lastly more mobile and does not depend on geography. Companies are also opting for ways to help their employees perform their duties effectively so that huge profits are realized in the long term .The changes in the workplaces include Reduction in the structure of the hierarchy ,breakdown in the organization boundaries , improved and better management tactics and perspectives and lastly better workplace condition and health to the employees. (Frank Ackerman, Neva R. Goodwin, Laurie Dougherty, Kevin Gallagher, 2001)