Monday, October 1, 2012

The Future of Work


In 2011 the Minnesota Governor’s Workforce Development Council produced a comprehensive report titled “Working to Close the Skills Gap”.  In that report it was asserted that by 2018, 70% of Minnesota jobs would require education beyond high school. In contrast to this forecast is the reality that in 2011 only 40% of working-age adults in state held a post-secondary degree. 

A skills gap exists in Minnesota and the rest of the United States and is slated to increase as a result of 71% of Americans being employed in jobs for which there is low demand and an oversupply of workers.  Contrast this to a shortage of workers that lack the skills necessary for jobs that require higher skill levels. Jobs that many believe are directly tied to any recovery in the U.S. economy.

Today, people in the employment marketplace generally fall into one of four skillset categories:

1.    People who are “ready now” and have exactly the right skills that employers are looking for at the right time.  Employers will first try and recruit from local labor markets and schools to find these people, but if they are unsuccessful they will look elsewhere.  Sometimes far afield.

2.    People who are “ready soon” and who, despite having limited training and on-the job experience can fit in.

3.    “Work ready” people have two to four years of postsecondary education and can be trained on the job, but for those companies with limited or shrinking budgets for training, hiring these people is a limitation.

4.    The “far from ready” segment of the population, are people who have dropped out of school, or only have a high school diploma.  Good job prospects for these people are small. 

Thomas Friedman, author of the book Hot Flat and Crowded:  Why We Need a Green Revolution and How it Can Renew America believes that the global marketplace has rewritten the requirements for employment success.  In addition to “working hard and playing by the rules”, it is necessary to obtain some form of postsecondary education, regularly reinvent yourself, and make sure you are engaged in lifelong learning.  In short, you will need to work harder, smarter and develop new skills faster.

A core value of the Northfield Public Library is to support lifelong learning, education, and enrichment.  The library has an impressive and extensive collection of print and electronic resources, participates in two large interlibrary loan networks that provide access to materials held throughout Minnesota, more than eight Internet accessible computers, and experienced staff dedicated to serving library users.

In addition to the above resources, there is a special collection in the library of materials on the subjects of  small business development and job searching, as well as a computer in this area dedicated to employment and business related activities.  Finally, the library has partnered with the Minnesota Workforce Center and provides the space for twice monthly job search club meetings and classes.   For more information contact the Northfield Public Library at 507-645-1802.  We can also answer your questions online.  Click on http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/library/askalibrarian

Below are works written by Thomas L. Friedman that available for loan in the Northfield Public Library. 

The World is Flat:  A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.  New York:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2005  Call no. 308.4833 FR

Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How it Can Renew America.  New York:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2008   Call no. 363.7 FR

That Used to Be Us:  How America Fell Behind In the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back.  New York:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2011   Call no. 973.932 FR

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