Demographic Characteristics of the U.S. Workforce
In the past, OB textbooks noted that rapid change was about to occur as
the predominantly white, male managerial workforce gave way to a gender-
balanced, multiethnic workforce. Today,that change is no longer happening:it
has happened,and it is increasingly reflected in the makcup of managerial and
professional jobs. Compared to 1976, women today are much more likely to be
employed full-time, have more education, and earn wages comparable to those
of men. In addition, over the past 50 years the earnings gap between Whites
and other racial and ethnic groups has decreased singificantly; past differences
between Whites and Asians have disappeared of been reversed. Workers over
the age of 55 are an increasingly large portion of the workforce as well. This
permanent shift toward a diverse workforce means organizations need to make
diversity management a central component of their policies and practices. At
the same time, however, differences in wages across genders and racial and eth-
nic groups persist, and executive positions in Fortune 500 corporations continue
to be held by white males in numbers far beyond their representation in the
workforce in general.
A survey by the Society for Human Resources Management shows some
major employer concerns and opportunities resulting from the demographic
makeup of the U.S. workforce. The aging of the workforce was consistently
the most significant concern of HR mangers. The loss of skills resulting from
the retirement of many baby boomers, increased medical costs due to an aging
workforce, and many employees, needs to care for elderly relatives topped the
list of issues. Other issues include developing multilingual training materials
and providing work-life benfits for dual-career couples.