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October 27, 2005
RAND Study on U.S. Workforce
The RAND Corporation published an interesting monograph last year on 'The forces Shaping the Future Workforce and Workplace in the United States." Written by Lynn Karoly and Constantijn Panis, and published by RAND's Labor and Population group, it looks at key factors impacting U.S. employment in the years ahead. I found the comments on the need for knowledge that enables innovation particularly interesting. A few key statements from the Summary:
"The rapid pace of technological change is expected to continue to propel demand for highly skilled workers who can develop the new technologies and bring them to market and who can exploit the new technologies in the production of goods and services... the transition to a knowledge-based economy continues to fuel demand for well-educated workers... Shifts in organizational forms ... favor such high-level cognitive skills as abstract reasoning, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration." (pp. xvii, xviii)
"A growing emphasis on knowledge workers and knowledge-based organizations can further define a source of competitive advantage for U.S. workers and employers. The shift ... also favors strong cognitive and entrepreneurial skills. Workers who increasingly interact in a global marketplace and participate in global work teams will require the skills needed to collaborate and interact in diverse cultural and linguistic settings." (p. xxxv)
"Demand differentials have been driving up the salary premium paid to workers with higher education levels. For example, between 1973 and 2001, the wage premium for a college degree compared with a high school diploma increased 30 percentage points, from 46 percent to 76 percent." (p. xxiii)
I found that study comforting, particularly for those of us in higher education who are helping students learn to innovate. Thus, the next item from the news last week was particularly disturbing.
Posted by DavidK at October 27, 2005 08:47 AM | Permalink