This research addresses Workforce 2020. Workforce 2000 is compared to Workforce 2020. Further discussion includes the following: what employers can expect in 2020; what workforce demographics will look like in 2020; what the employee can expect in 2020; how the year 2020 will affect Human Resource professionals and their duties; and the role of training and development in 2020.
Workforce 2000 projections suggested that the new entrants, those primarily between 16 and 24, would decrease substantially and the work force would grow more slowly. The proportion of white members was expected to decline with an increase of minority population proportions. The work force composition was predicted to include more older workers and more women; people between 45 and 64 were expected to increase 25 percent or more (Goldstein & Gilliam, 1990).
The year 2000 was predicted to show a shift from manufacturing to service jobs; nine out of 10 new jobs would be in the service-producing industries. Jobs would show an increase in working with customers and clients rather than co-worker or product interaction. Statistics showed a growth rate of 12 percent more than overall employment growth in health care employment between 1992 and 2005. These entry-level jobs (service-oriented) are characterized by lower pay levels. Displaced manufacturing sector workers would find that they needed to learn new interpersonal and service skills, just to end up with lower-paying jobs (Goldstein & Gilliam, 1990; Lozada, 1995).
Predictions for the year 2000 stated that large numbers of skilled persons would be needed for entry-level jobs, with a pool of younger persons composed of unskilled and undereducated individuals. Increased needs for technological system sophistication and greater training requirements posed additional difficulties. Greater needs for management training were noted as a major focus. Managers were predicted as needing to be very sk...