Paul Krugman and Michael Moore have written excellent articles about the state of our country's current economy. Both articles cite the need for more jobs residing IN America (vs off-shoring) and suggest Unions are vitally needed to give the working middle class a voice and strength through collective bargaining. Otherwise, greedy Big Business will continue to drive down wages and benefits and continue to outsource jobs offshore. Krugman also said technology lessens the need for advanced degrees in certain areas (eg: the growing use of software to conduct legal research vs armies of lawyers and paralegals conducting this research). Instead, study of the future labor needs in our country suggests an increasing need for service and manual labor type jobs. I decided to test out Krugman's and Moore's theories re: future labor needs. First, I studied the current US Census Bureau statistics. I studied the rate of population, by AGE, between the years 2000 to 2008. Then, based on these numbers, projected the population, by AGE, over the next 20 years, through to 2028. What the data tells me is, over the next 20 years, the rate of Baby Boomers in retirement age is going to double the current rate. The working population, those between 20 and 50, will need to increase in order to meet the needs of the Boomers. Boomers are going to need plenty of "IN America" - service workers to assist them through their Golden Years. These are jobs that CANNOT be outsourced offshore.
America's Future Job Needs include:
. Medical: Doctors, Nurses, Hospital Workers, Home Healthcare and Hospice workers
. Assistance: Drivers, Delivery (Food, Products), Maid Service, Lawncare, Home Protection-Electronics, Monitoring
. Entertainment: Home; Electronics, Vacation/Hotel
. End of Life Planning: Nursing Homes vs In-Home Care Decisions; Funeral Planning (Caskets; Funeral Homes; Cemeteries; Groundskeepers; Cremation)
. Financial: Investments; Annuity, Insurance, Retirement Planning and Account Assistance.
. Service: Call Center Support for Healthcare, Medicare, Social Security, Life Planning, Financial, Nursing.
Other than Doctors and Nurses, many of these jobs DO NOT require advanced degrees, however they do require on-site, manual labor. Most of these are jobs CANNOT be out-sourced and MUST remain here, in America.
If I were President Obama, I would focus on Jobs that America needs in the future. He should have weekly or monthly chats with us to explain the changing demographics and our country's future needs. As the Boomers continue to age and approach social security, we are going to need MORE workers in America, NOT Less. Between 2018 and 2028, we will be facing a severe worker shortage soon. The shortage will be particularly in young, strong workers required for the Home Healthcare industry.
What we should be doing is focusing on how to build the rate of YOUNG, strong workers in our workforce, here in America. As we build this new workforce, more taxes will be paid and more money will be put back into the economy. Young entrepreneurs should be thinking about how to best meet the needs of America in our near future.
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