June 04, 2006
Impact of EMD Workforce Part 1
There have been media reports about the impending workforce crisis. How is this crisis affecting the electrical motor diagnostics industry? How serious is the impact? What can be done about it?
Impact of EMD Workforce Part 1
Howard W Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP
President, SUCCESS by DESIGN
There have been media reports about the impending workforce crisis. How is this crisis affecting the electrical motor diagnostics industry? How serious is the impact? What can be done about it?
First, the aging workforce issue is nothing new. It just happens to be another phase in a cycle that has been occurring for the period since the first industrial revolution nearly three centuries ago. In 1910, 20% of the workforce was aged between 10 and 14 years old, the average man lived 49.3 years and unemployment was 15%. In effect, there was an excess number of workers followed in the 1920’s and 1930’s with the ‘birth dearth,’ a period where the number of births dropped dramatically. The result was a slowing in population, following World War I, and leading up to World War II, which resulted in a drop in unemployment to between 2 and 5%, similar to unemployment levels today. Following World War II, the baby-boom generation occurred as the fertility rate increased dramatically. Following the early 1960’s, the baby-bust generation was born, which represents a slowing of the fertility rate in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. The children in the later 1980’s, and after, are referred to as the baby-boom echo generation.
…. To be continued….
