Perfect Labor Storm 2.0

More Women as Breadwinners: Low NY Literacy Rates a Factor

2009-07-07T23:04:40-04:00

July 7, 2009

NEW YORK - In New York and across the country, far more men have lost jobs during the current recession than have women, and that's reversing the roles of family breadwinner in some homes. Dr. Ira Wolfe, a work force trends expert and author of "The Perfect Labor Storm," says employers need workers with more than just a high school education. He says that even though New York has a low school dropout rate, the state produces a significant percent of students who don't have basic skills.

Recession Emphasizes Shift in Men to Women as Breadwinners

2009-07-06T14:35:51-04:00

The following was published on the Public News Service website this morning. An audio of the interview is available on the website or by downloading here.

LANCASTER, Pa. – In Pennsylvania and across the country, far more men have lost jobs during the recession than women, and that's reversing the roles of family breadwinner in some homes. Dr. Ira Wolfe is a workforce trends expert and author of "The Perfect Labor Storm." He says what the nation is seeing are more cases of a trend that started before the economy went bust.

Are working learners trapped in a paradigm shift?

2009-07-02T07:00:00-04:00

Our nation’s existing postsecondary system seems caught in a paradigm shift similar to what retail business experiencing: how do you blend bricks-and-mortar with virtual shopping? Education finds itself in a similar quagmire: how do you prepare or re-train students and workers for a marketplace where meaningful credentials are constantly redefined?

Our current system of training and re-training seems focused more on getting people back into jobs than leading to more meaningful and well-conceived career paths. The burning question is this: are we providing working learners with the right credentials? Is a certificate or degree meaningful if the student or employee completes a program but doesn’t possess the necessary skills to do a job?

In an era when higher education is more important than ever, many working Americans have only tenuous connections to a college education. There are currently 75 million Americans between the ages of 18 to 64 who still have no postsecondary credentials and who are not currently enrolled in a course of education. With life-long jobs a thing of the past, workers are moving in and out of jobs more often with little notion of how to get ahead. For the vast majority of these working Americans the path to being productive contributors to our economy with decent jobs is through further educational attainment.

For the most post, advancing their educations means juggling work and learning over much of their working lives. These “working learners’ face an educational system designed for young students who complete a degree or other credential after a fixed, continuous, period of education.

Working learners can’t do that. They are older students who attend school in non-traditional ways, either don’t apply and/or don’t qualify for financial assistance, and are less likely to complete any kind of degree within six years. And the current alternatives often don’t provide meaningful benchmarks of achievement with value in the job market.

While the government workforce development system offers a glimmer of hope (although it’s still focused on crisis intervention and short term job placement), it touches less than one-half of one percent (416,000) of the 75 million potential working learners in the United States.

Are schools, government, and employers doing enough to prepare students to apply what they learn? Are our tax dollars being spent to "bail-out" unskilled and under-skilled workers or to create a workforce with credentials employers can use? Do employers need to start looking at non-credit courses and degrees in progress as adequate credentials for skills or does a certificate or degree still offer more evidence for potential performance?

Adult obesity rates up in 23 states

2009-07-01T17:47:50-04:00

Mississippi has kept its U.S. heavyweight title for a fifth straight year, among both adults and children.

The percentage of adults classified as obese went up in 23 states, but Mississippi, with 32.5 percent, stayed atop the latest annual rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America's Health. The same survey put the state's adult obesity rate at 31.7 percent in 2008. Thirty-one states now report rates over 25 percent. By comparison, no state topped 20 percent in 1991.

In addition, 44.4 percent of Mississippi children ages 10 to 17 are classified as overweight or obese.

Rounding out the top five states among adults were West Virginia, with 31.2 percent of its population considered obese; Alabama, 31.1 percent; Tennessee, 30.2 percent; and South Carolina 29.7 percent.

Generation differences at widest gap since 1969

2009-06-30T21:33:59-04:00

From cell phones and texting to religion and manners, almost 8 in 10 people believe there is a major difference in the point of view of younger and older Americans, according to a new study released Monday This is the highest spread since 1969, when 74 percent respondents to a Gallup Poll reported generational differences over the Vietnam War and equal rights for women and minorities. In contrast, just 60 percent in 1979 saw a generation gap.

The study by the Pew Research Center found Americans of different ages increasingly at odds over a range of issues. It also confirms the shift in generational power that helped catapult Barack Obama into the White House, when 18- to 29-year-olds supported the Democratic candidate by a 2-to-1 ratio.

Social values and morality were issues where older and younger people differed the most. People age 18 to 29 were likely to report disagreements over lifestyle, views and family, relationships and dating while older people cited differences in a sense of entitlement. Young people also were more tolerant on cultural issues such as gay marriage and interracial relationships. Those in the middle-age groups often cited manners as the greatest source of conflict.

Not unexpectedly, the adoption of “newfangled” information technologies divides the generations. Just 4 in 10 adults ages 65-74 use the internet on a daily basis and that share drops to just 1 in 6 among adults 75 and older. By contrast, 75 percent of adults ages 18-30 go online daily.

The gap is even wider when it comes to cell phones and text messages. Just

5 percent of adults 65 and older make most or all of their calls on a cell phone. For adults under age 30, the number jumps to 72 percent. The difference is greater when it comes to texting: just 11 percent of older adults use their cell phone to text messages while 87 percent of the under-30 crowd let their fingers do the talking.

The different generations don’t even agree on the most basic question of all about old age: When does old age begin? Much to my chagrin, 18 to 29 year olds, belonging to the Millennial generation, believe that the average person becomes old at age 60. Gen Xers and young Baby Boomers, the middle age respondents to the survey, put the threshold closer to 70. People 65 and older say that the average person does not become old until turning 74.

The convergence of youth, experience, and technology is taking center stage in the workplace. How prepared are you?

(Keep an eye out for my new book Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization available September 2009.)

More than half of working age Philadelphians lack literacy skills

2009-06-29T16:46:39-04:00

When I think about The Perfect Labor Storm, the following gets my attention.

More than half (52.2 percent) of working-age Philadelphians (550,000 adults) lack necessary work force literacy skills, which means they struggle to follow written instructions or complete a form, such as a job application. More than 202,000 of the city’s adults have failed to obtain a high school diploma.

Statewide the number is still a staggering 37.9 percent, at a time when some level of post-secondary education is not an option but a requirement for even entry-level jobs.

Adults that fall below the literacy standard can only qualify for a third of the jobs in the current economy, which is roughly 211,000 jobs...and that's just in Philadelphia. By 2030, another 50,000 in the city will not have the basic literacy skills to compete for jobs in the economy unless the problem is addressed now, according to the Help Wanted report released by the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board.

The irony of this report is that I'm currently writing an article for the August 2009 edition of Business2Business magazine on the gap between workforce development and education. According to another just released report on 'Working Learners' (americanprogress.org), there are 75 million Americans between the ages of 18 to 64, or 60 percent of our workforce, who still have no postsecondary credentials and who are not currently enrolled in a course of education. This comes at a time when nearly half of all new jobs created by 2016 will require postsecondary credentials. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs requiring postsecondary education will grow by 17 percent - nearly double the rate of 8.8 percent for jobs that do not require such a credential.

Unfortunately Philadelphia and Pennsylvania are not the exceptions but the rule. This crisis is repeated across dozens of states and thousands of cities. The U.S. graduation is hovering around 70 percent, meaning only 7 out of every 10 students who start 9th grade graduate from high school. And in nearly 2,000 "dropout factories" nationwide, more high school students dropout than graduate.

Am I the only person questioning where are we allocating billions of dollars for job creation when more than 60 percent of our workforce lacks postsecondary credentials? What kind of jobs is the government intent on creating? How is our stimulus and workforce development dollars going to help create jobs that can keep the U.S. competitive when more than half the working population lacks basic literacy skills?

More than half of employed Americans likely to jump ship

2009-06-22T00:00:00-04:00

Not a day goes by that the media doesn't report some doomsday scenario about the economy. To survive the recession and avoid further disruptions, management keeps its sights honed in on the bottom line. But this laser-like focus might distract many organizations from seeing the other big shoe that's ready to drop as the economy rebounds.

Key findings in according to Adecco Group’s latest Workplace Insights Survey include:

Resignations- More than half (54%) of employed Americans report that they are likely to look for new jobs once the economy turns around. Be ready for a lot of suspiciously long lunch breaks, and the occasional dentist appointment that requires a suit and tie.

Goodbye, Generation Y: 71% of those between 18-29 are likely to look for new jobs once the upturn begins. These are the youngest employees who bring a lot of new ideas and skills to the table.

Pay cuts- More than half (55%) of employees who are willing to accept a pay cut to keep their job, will accept a 10% salary decrease or more. Before you get too excited about trimming salaries to cut costs, remember that a pay cut can harm an individual employee’s financial situation, thus hastening a job search.

Generation Y won’t budge: Only 9% (less than 1 in 10) of Generation Y is willing to accept a pay cut to keep their jobs compared to 1 in 5 workers from the other generations (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Silent)

Retirement plans: Almost half (44%) of employees over the age of 60 have been forced to delay their retirement plans

Pessimism persists: Despite weeks of good news from the markets, a full 40% of American workers believe we will still be in a recession for another full year, and potentially into the third quarter of 2011.

Dads working longer hours and second jobs

2009-06-21T09:00:00-04:00

One-quarter of employed dads are working longer hours and second jobs to keep up with current economic pressures, according to Adecco Group North America’s latest American Workplace Insights Survey.

The economy is hitting home in many ways – half (49%) of working parents admit they wish they could spend more time with their kids. Over half (54%) have cut their family’s budget and about 1/3 (31%) say they think their children know what’s happening in the economy.

“These findings are great reminders as we celebrate Father’s Day, that Dads are just as affected by increased pressure as Moms,” says working father Rich Thompson, Vice President of Training and Development at Adecco Group North America. “Sometimes employers tend to recognize and address the pressures of working moms over working dads. It’s more important now than ever, that employers take these pressures into account as they are managing their teams."

Adecco Group North America offers the following tips for employers to reduce stress felt on their employees:

Recognize achievements: It may not be feasible to reward employees with salary or bonus increases, but there are non-monetary based ways to show appreciation. Allowing employees to telecommute once a week to save on commuting costs or developing an internal reward or recognition program will go a long way in demonstrating value.
Focus on productivity over face time: Employees should be evaluated by their work over simply the time they are in the office. Allowing more flexible work arrangements will help working parents better manage their work-life balance.
Understand the unique skills of working parents: Parents are experts in multi-tasking, prioritizing and negotiating. Employers should be as flexible as possible to best meet the needs of their business as well as their employees.

Retiring Baby Boomers need truckloads of money to pay for health care

2009-06-21T00:22:22-04:00

Baby Boomers who are chopping at the bit to retire will need truckloads of money to pay for health-care expenses over the course of their retirement, according to a new study.

The reality is this: Men retiring at age 65 in 2009 will need from $68,000 to $173,000 in savings to cover health-insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses in retirement if they want a 50/50 chance of being able to have enough money, and $134,000 to $378,000 if they prefer a 90% chance, according to a study published last week by the Employee Benefits Research Institute.

Women -- with their greater longevity -- will need even more money. A women retiring at age 65 in 2009 will need from $98,000 to $242,000 in savings to cover insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses in retirement for a 50/50 chance of having enough money, and $164,000 to $450,000 for a 90% chance.

1 in 5 U.S. employers struggle to find qualified employees

2009-06-06T10:40:23-04:00

As a follow-up to a post I made just a few days ago about some employers still struggling to fill positions, relocation could take on new meaning.

According to research by Manpower Inc. in its 2009 Talent Shortage Survey, the hard to fill job situation is less severe in the U.S. than in many places around the world. The survey says, 19% of 2,019 respondents reported difficulty in filling positions.

This might seem odd since yesterday the U.S. Department of Labor announced unemployment hit 9.4%. The fact that so many employers can’t find what they need in labor markets indicates that “while more people may be looking for jobs, they don’t generally have the skills that organizations are looking for,” the survey report states.

While only 1 in 5 U.S. employers are struggling to find skilled workers, the employment famine is worst in Romania and Taiwan, where nearly two-thirds (62%) of would-be hirers have positions going begging. Peru (56%), Japan (55%), Australia (49%), Costa Rica (48%), and Poland (48%) are almost as bad. In contrast, there’s not much of a talent shortage in Ireland, (5%), Spain (8%), the United Kingdom (11%), China (15%), or the Czech Republic (17%).

In the U.S., engineers top the lost of hard to fill positions with nurses in close second. On the world labor market, skilled trades and sales representatives are #1 and #2. Technicians are the third hardest to fill jobs. In the U.S., the skilled trades are number 3 in order of difficulty, and technicians come in at number 6.

Jeffrey A. Joerres, chairman and CEO of Manpower, thinks that “legacy mindsets and leadership philosophies” are blinding many employers to demographic shifts and other “mega trends” that they should be factoring into their recruiting strategies.