The Inter-generational Workforce

A rapidly aging global workforce - and the increasing numbers of older workers who want or need to work beyond normal retirement age - is creating an unexpected challenge and a major opportunity for employers and employees in the United States and other developed countries. In the US, private sector industries currently feeling the greatest pain in terms of imminent skills shortages include oil, gas, energy and healthcare as well as aerospace and defense. In the public sector, Federal, state and local government agencies are particularly hard-pressed. In this paper, we first introduce and define what is meant by the "aging and intergenerational workforce", then we describe the different generations, and scope out the anticipated impacts on companies, workers, and society. We list major issues resulting therefrom and conclude with some recommendations on actions that the profession, companies and policy-makers can take in response.