Talent shortages and inflation
About 20 to 25 percent of U.S. businesses provide training to their employees. This management commitment cuts across all types of businesses of all sizes. Here are some notable examples: Large Airbus Amazon American Airlines Boeing CVS KitchenAid Lowe’s Marriott United Airlines Medium Abt (IL) Bell & Howell Birmingham Water Works Board (AL) CCA Global Partners Cracker Barrel Intermedia Seattle Genetics (WA) Small LaSalle Network...
Gordon Report: Why job vacancies are surging & likely to continue
The Great Disruption Aftermath As the labor market starts recovering from the severe disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some reasons for hope and many reasons for concern. The labor participation rate which continues to remain 1.1 percent lower than before the pandemic’s start, may rise somewhat as normal schooling enables more women to return to the workforce and the fear of contracting COVID subsides. On the...
Hope – Jobs – Change
What are the major roadblocks to changing the ways the United States develops its workforce? We recently sought some answers from other workforce development leaders who also seek major improvements in our education-to-employment systems. There is general agreement that there are new education and training programs that improve adult and student learning, but there are significant obstacles to effectively and comprehensively...
Building a new skilled talent decade
Recently I spoke at a forum on my White Paper, “Job Shock: Moving Beyond the COVID-19 Employment Meltdown to a New Skilled Talent Decade,” at the Cliff Dwellers Club in Chicago. My presentation and responses to it can be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/gnLBrOiMSYA. In my remarks, I pointed out that history was now repeating itself as workplace technology change is again shifting education and skills requirements. PAST LABOR...
Job Shock: Solving the Pandemic & 2030 Employment Meltdown Part VI: RETAIN Case Studies: Partnerships Rebuilding Local Employment Pipelines
The June Gordon Report provided an introduction to the general characteristics of regional public-private partnerships focusing on economic and workforce development or RETAINs. Across the United States RETAINs have many local brand names. RETAINs bring together enlightened community leaders from many industry sectors. They cooperate in developing initiatives that provide career education and information to students and retrain...
Job Shock: Solving the Pandemic & 2030 Employment Meltdown Part V: Talent Rx: RETAIN Partnerships
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered widespread doubts about the future. The U.S. job market is in chaos. At the end of April 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an unprecedented 9.3 million job openings across many business sectors. Might this finally be the right time to start anew and find fresh solutions to the skills-jobs shock now underway? Today’s unprecedented economic upheaval presents an unprecedented...
Job Shock: Solving the Pandemic & 2030 Employment Meltdown Part IV: A New Time Bomb: An Explosion of Skilled Worker Shortages
It is already apparent that as COVID-19 restrictions ease, pent-up demand for many types of goods and services will be unleashed. As businesses reopen or expand to meet this boom, the demand for skilled workers will soar. It is not likely to fall for the rest of this decade. As cited in prior “Job Shock” segments, a major demographic shift, serious education deficits, and rising job-skill demands have combined with...
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