ERIC Number: ED537120
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Sep
Pages: 20
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Future of the U.S. Workforce: A Survey of Hiring Practices across Industries
Achieve, Inc.
In today's job market, middle and high skills jobs--jobs that require some education and training beyond high school--comprise the majority of job openings and typically provide the best wages and opportunities for advancement. And almost every day, there is an article or news story discussing the "skills mismatch" phenomenon, the ongoing challenge employers have in finding qualified and skilled employees to fill the more than 3 million jobs currently open in the United States, even in a time of high unemployment. As policymakers develop policies and programs that aim to ensure that the future U.S. workforce has the academic and technical preparation (from both K-12 and postsecondary education) necessary to access the careers of their choice, it is important to examine the issue from all angles. While there is an increasing amount of research around the education and skills jobs demand, the changing landscape of available jobs, and the role of education and training in addressing this skills mismatch, less is known about how the skills mismatch affects companies' hiring practices--and how companies' hiring practices affect the skills mismatch. For instance, do organizations expect to require higher levels of education for future job openings at some or all job levels? Do the education and skills requirements listed in job postings reflect current hiring practices? What are the most significant changes these HR leaders see for their organizations in the future? And what opportunities are truly available within organizations for advancement, particularly for individuals with lower levels of education and skills? To answer these questions and others, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Achieve partnered on a national survey of nearly 4,700 HR professionals representing nine industries. Major findings from the survey include: (1) Companies are hiring; (2) Demand is growing for more education and skills at all levels; (3) Companies are investing in training for their employees; and (4) Opportunities exist for low skills workers, but there is reason to suspect that these opportunities will shrink in the future. (Contains 7 figures, 6 tables, and 3 endnotes.)
Descriptors: Labor Market, Employment Patterns, Skilled Occupations, Technical Occupations, Personnel Selection, Job Skills, Employment Practices, Labor Force, Futures (of Society), Industry, Labor Needs, Skilled Workers, On the Job Training, Industrial Training, Staff Development, Employment Potential, Educational Attainment, Secondary Education, High School Graduates, Employees
Achieve, Inc. 1775 Eye Street NW Suite 410, Washington, DC 20006. Tel: 202-419-1540; Fax: 202-828-0911; Web site: http://www.achieve.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Secondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; GE Foundation
Authoring Institution: Achieve, Inc.
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A