July 15, 2009

Edited and Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Published by Success Performance Solutions. Major Sponsor,

2008 Best Places to Work In Pennsylvania

What's Inside this issue of The TotalView:

• Eighty-two percent of job losses have befallen men
• Perfect Labor Storm Warnings
• Porn at Work!
• Competency Based Assessment Solutions
• eSKill Office Skill Testing
• Quotes from the Hire Authorities

Eighty-two percent of job losses have befallen men

There seems to be surprise that women have become the breadwinners in the downturned economy. Come on folks, just do the math. (OOPS, maybe that's the problem since U.S. math scores keep slipping down the list when compared to other countries.)

Men's job losses have been higher than women's because they work in industries harder hit by the downturn. Men make up two-thirds or more of workers in mining, manufacturing, energy, construction and transportation, which have been hit hard by the continuing downturn. Overall, 82 percent of job losses in the past 12 months have befallen men, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women now hold 49.1% of the nation's jobs, a record high number.

From December 2007 to December 2008, half of the job losses occurred in either construction or manufacturing. Men make up nearly all (87 percent) of construction workers and have lost 94 percent of the construction jobs. Likewise, men make up just over two-thirds of manufacturing workers, and have lost about that same share of the jobs. On the other hand, women's jobs have been sustained over the past year by hiring in the government and health care sectors.

Overall, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, men account for nearly 3 out of every four jobs lost since the recession began in December 2007.  Concurrently women now account for a record high of 49.8 percent of all payroll jobs as of May 2007.

This testosterone-fueled makeover of the workforce has thrust more women into the role of primary breadwinner.   It shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone keeping an eye on workforce trends.

The female labor participation rate jumped from 34 percent in 1950 to a high of 60 percent in the early 2000s while male participation fell from 86 percent to 73 percent. During the same period, the number of unskilled jobs fell from 60 percent in 1950 to only 15 percent.  And moving forward, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly half of all new jobs created between now and 2016 will require post-secondary credentials and fall in the "middle-skill" jobs categories.
In the past many men held jobs in industries that required only a high school education or a trade school certificate. The new jobs being created require more education and advanced training - and women have the edge in credentials.

While the men were working, more and more women were getting an education. Only 7 percent of men and 5 percent of women completed a four-year college in 1950.  By 2008, nearly 35 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 29 have completed four-year programs while less than 27 percent of men do.  For every 100 women enrolled in college there are 77 men enrolled and for every 100 American women who earn an associate's degree from college 67 American men earn the same degree.  The female preparedness gaps widen further when you look at black, Asian and Hispanics.  

So I ask you - is it really any surprise that more and more female workers are becoming the primary breadwinners? The unemployment rate for workers with a high school diploma or less is as high as 14 percent while the workers holding four-year degrees is still under 5 percent.  When more women than men hold the post-secondary credentials, especially in the younger worker population, it doesn't take advanced training to predict which gender will be filling the majority of new jobs.

This shift has serious human resource implications for previously male-dominated industries, relating to everything from compensation and benefits to work/life issues. Is your business prepared to recruit and retain more female workers in key positions?  Are you prepared to accommodate flexible working arrangements for Mr. Mom's who may no longer be the primary breadwinner? 

Perfect Labor Storm Warnings   

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, companies lose 2.8 million workdays each year from unscheduled time off, aka absenteeism.

For more workforce and hiring trends. subscribe to the Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 blog.

Purchase the NEW Perfect Labor Storm 2.0 books (soft and hard cover versions) at PerfectLaborStorm.com.

Porn at Work!  According to the results of a Nielsen Online survey, 25 percent of Amercians visited a porn site while at work in October 2008, up 2 percent from a year earlier.  

An internal investigation of employees for the District of Columbia led to the firing of 9 employees. Each of the nine employees clicked on porn sites more than 19,000 times in 2008. Three of the fired employee visited the adult sites more than 39,000 times each!    Prevent computer abuse at work.  CandidClues screens candidates BEFORE you hire for computer abuse as well as other counter-productive behaviors such as absenteeism, theft, hostility and substance abuse.  

Learn more about CandidClues.

Competency Based Assessment Solutions

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• Assess aligns people with business strategy to achieve success.
• Assess integrates a series of assessments to evaluate job fit.
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Test for Office Skills Accurate & Affordable   

eSkill assessments are an effective method of ensuring your candidates have the skills needed for your jobs before an extensive interview process. eSkill's online testing tool creates valid, job-based tests by combining multiple subjects and skill levels as needed into a single assessment.  

• Accounting
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Quotes from Hire Authorities

"Wisdom consists not so much in knowing what to do in the ultimate as knowing what to do next."
 
Herbert Hoover

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Ira S. Wolfe Copyright 2009 - All Rights Reserved. Reprints and other distribution by permission only.