The Baby Boom Generation (1946-65), which has driven virtually every consumer shift for the past 60 years, is retiring in great numbers right now and we are at the very crest of this genera- tional wave. As these folks leave the workforce, they take 40+ years of experience with them, leaving a significant void, thus a shortage of skilled workers. This generation typically viewed work as a requirement of every productive member of society. Loyalty was another valued quality; people would learn a trade or skill and remain with a company for several years, poten- tially even their entire career. These values lead to a stable and productive economy and are con- sidered a traditional work ethic. Generation X (1966-80) is often seen as the cross- over generation between the baby boomers and millennials. This generation has a traditional work ethic as well, however, they are torn between the past and the present. One main cause is the onset of technological development which had greatly impacted work life and the need to continually keep up-to-speed with the rapidly evolving work environment. With this development, this gener- ation is at odds with the shift to production and
less value in the high-labour skilled trades. The new pressure of ensuring a work-life balance is at odds with the value of hard work instilled in them from an early age. Now, this generation is being promoted to the roles of retiring Boomers which appears to be having a negative impact on mental health and productivity. Millennials (1981-96) are either in their initial years or well into their careers by now. This generation is starting to realize that there is a problem in the workforce: too often, they are expected to do more with fewer resources or to take on roles having never been properly trained. This is the generation that lost industrial arts or shop classes in favour of computer labs. Unfor- tunately, computers don’t operate heavy equip- ment, build houses, or repair vehicles. Technol- ogy is a benefit to all these things, but it will never completely replace skilled tradespeople. I believe that because of this loss of hands-on experience during their formative years and the reduction of the value of physical work in schools, has impacted the number of Millennials who have chosen to enter the trades and neg- atively impacted our workforce. There may be
CONTRACTOR’S
GENERATIONAL IMPACT ON SKILLED LABOUR
by Dan Monk W e have seen a skilled labour shortage coming for decades with the “boomer” generation approaching retirement. On top of this, there is a general change in the attitudes of people toward work-life balance in newer generations. I thought I would break it down into bite-size pieces based on generations so we can have a
real discussion about what is happening to the skilled labour force. I grew up with Boomer parents, I belong to Gen X, and one of my children is a millennial and the other is a part of Gen Z. I believe I have witnessed a selection of what each of these generations has or could con- tribute to the workforce. This is an overview with generalized observations from my point of view:
17
16
VOL 23 ISSUE 1 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 23 ISSUE 1
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter maker