The United States is no stranger when it comes to shortages, however, a skilled labor shortage could prove problematic. An article published by the economist looked at the labor shortage experienced in Atlanta, in particular, the Atlanta Media Campus and Studios. Although this article brought up some valid information, it oversimplified the issue as a whole. This paper will address some of the points not mentioned in the article and conclude with how the information is relevant and helpful to the article.
In order to understand why a skilled labor shortage could appear in the U.S economy, we must first identify at a large, well-educated group of workers who are exiting the labor force. The impending retirement of the baby boomers could create …show more content…
The article in question mentioned that Georgia had invested in technical education programs, such as Go Build Georgia. However, the article didn’t include how long it takes to teach individuals in the program relative to other professions. This projection is important to policy makers because, if the schooling is relatively short, then a policy response can be addressed when the shortage takes effect. In addition, investing in “increased capacity at community colleges to help meet future skill demands will prove less effective if rushed” (Neumark 3), this suggests that technical education programs must be built up over time. The primary conclusion in terms of education is that the U.S. economy will generate demand for highly-educated works, which as a result can be addressed by creating more educational programs. Thus, the United States does not seem to be in peril of a workforce gap. The demand for skilled labor is being met by the supply, and this is projected through 2018. This is one of the reasons why Georgia has experienced a drop in attendance at technical colleges by 23%. Nevertheless, Georgia is still “pouring money into training” (Economist 2), spending 24 million on technical colleges as of last …show more content…
The BLS data, used in the research that’s being compared to the article, projects that the greatest increases in demand experienced in the workforce are jobs that require secondary education. Further projections suggest that in 2018, “68.3% of all workers will be in jobs that require only a high school degree or less” (Neumark 6). This coincides with the Department of Labor, which predicts the United States will need “114,700 more electricians and 218,200 more carpenters by 2022” (Economist 2). Furthermore, the BLS projects that demand will increase for workers with an associate’s degree, which takes on average two years to obtain. With that said, the present data shows no skilled labor
In order to understand why a skilled labor shortage could appear in the U.S economy, we must first identify at a large, well-educated group of workers who are exiting the labor force. The impending retirement of the baby boomers could create …show more content…
The article in question mentioned that Georgia had invested in technical education programs, such as Go Build Georgia. However, the article didn’t include how long it takes to teach individuals in the program relative to other professions. This projection is important to policy makers because, if the schooling is relatively short, then a policy response can be addressed when the shortage takes effect. In addition, investing in “increased capacity at community colleges to help meet future skill demands will prove less effective if rushed” (Neumark 3), this suggests that technical education programs must be built up over time. The primary conclusion in terms of education is that the U.S. economy will generate demand for highly-educated works, which as a result can be addressed by creating more educational programs. Thus, the United States does not seem to be in peril of a workforce gap. The demand for skilled labor is being met by the supply, and this is projected through 2018. This is one of the reasons why Georgia has experienced a drop in attendance at technical colleges by 23%. Nevertheless, Georgia is still “pouring money into training” (Economist 2), spending 24 million on technical colleges as of last …show more content…
The BLS data, used in the research that’s being compared to the article, projects that the greatest increases in demand experienced in the workforce are jobs that require secondary education. Further projections suggest that in 2018, “68.3% of all workers will be in jobs that require only a high school degree or less” (Neumark 6). This coincides with the Department of Labor, which predicts the United States will need “114,700 more electricians and 218,200 more carpenters by 2022” (Economist 2). Furthermore, the BLS projects that demand will increase for workers with an associate’s degree, which takes on average two years to obtain. With that said, the present data shows no skilled labor