What will the U.S. Workforce look like by 2010-2015? Time is passing and what we do now will determine our destiny! - HOT TOPICS, Vol.2 No.11 - Mar. 31, 2006

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3rd Careers HOT TOPICS Week Ending Mar. 31, 2006 - Vol. 2, No. 11

"What will the U.S. Workforce look like by 2010-2015?
Time is passing and what we do now will determine our destiny!"

The composition of American society is changing and changing fast. The United States finds itself in the midst of changing demographic and psychographics so wide and so deep that our very political, economic and social fabric is being challenged. We are in the process of redefining the very word "work" because from age distribution to ethnicity, gender, education and culture we are beginning to look very different than the American workers of the past.

You’ve read about the difference in age demographics for various cohort groups but have you connected the dots as to what this means to the number or percentages of available workers to meet the demands of the U.S. workforce of the near future? Here’s what the Bureau of Labor Statistics has to say about the changes in terms of percentages to the U.S. workforce from 2000 to 2010.

AGE SHIFT
25 or less will grow by +2%
25-34 will shrink by -5%
35-44 will shrink by -19%
45-54 will grow by +8%
55 and over will grow by +33% The generation born before 1964 now represents 40% of the population. By 2010, they will number 50%. The mature generation, in other words, is the largest cohort group in the American workforce. How we utilize this aspect of the workforce will impact our ability to compete.
HIGHER EDUCATION SHIFT The number of adults under the age of 35 enrolled in degree-granting institutions is projected to increase 22% by 2010. However, there are declines in degree seeking adults in engineering, math and sciences and 90 million Americans are victims of low to marginal literacy. (Source: National Adult Literacy Survey and BLS)
GENDER SHIFT More women than men now – today – attend and graduate from college in America. More women then men, percentage wise, work later in life than men. As a percentage of income, women over the age of 35 earn 76 cents for every dollar earned by men.
ETHNIC/RACE/CULTURAL SHIFT High growth rates among certain minority groups, especially due to the fast increasing immigration from Latin America and Asia, predict that minorities will make up 1/3 of the U.S. population by the end of 2015. Hispanics will represent one in four of these Americans. In California, Florida, Texas and New York the shift in ethnic composition has already taken place.

It is important to study and to think about what these shifts in the American workforce may mean to your life, to your children’s opportunities and to the economic and social health of your community. It is hard to overstate the weight of the numbers of seniors, boomers, certain minorities, the under-representation of men in the workforce and the other changes that are upon us.

Please think about where, when and how you might get involved with helping to solve the identified challenges. Then, do your part to teach and encourage others to fight for the future that’s within their grasp.

I am reminded of a great quote by Winston Churchill who said: "The Americans will always do the right thing . . . .after they've exhausted all the alternatives." Well, we’ve exhausted many alternatives, off-shored and outsourced thousands of jobs, and are at the moment in time when we must not only think - but act - to safeguard America’s future. The mature workers are waiting to help bridge the generation and education gaps as well as to help bring new, legal American immigrants successfully into the workplace.