Demographics and Your Career
By Ruth Silverman(Soon to be published in The Recruit)
It is useful to keep up with current workplace and labour market trends, so my attention was piqued when I read about Linda Duxbury's research on the current four generations in the workplace (Carleton University Magazine, Spring 2006, p. 12 - 17). We're all aware of diversity in the workplace - gender diversity, ethno-cultural diversity, differences of ability, etc. What we might not realize is that the different ages of our coworkers is a form of diversity. Each generation brings different, sometimes conflicting, attitudes about work, shaped by the economic circumstances of their working lives.
Many people are working longer now, staying in the workforce past "Freedom 55" due to economic necessity or the fact that they find their work meaningful. I've had several career planning clients in their 60s and 70s. Duxbury labels these workers, born before 1946, the "Veteran Generation;" they experienced the last "true sellers' market for labour," and relative job security.
Next came the Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964. The early Boomers entered the workforce during a time of economic prosperity, but later Boomers experienced a "shift from a seller's market to a buyer's market for labour" in which "we had about twice as many qualified people for every job on the market." Employment conditions worsened, with employers demanding longer hours for reduced job security.
This trend came to a head for Generation X, born between 1961 and 1974, who reached maturity "just when the labour market tanked." This generation has experienced tremendous competition for jobs, took "McJobs" for which they were overqualified, and is still experiencing fallout from getting a slow start on their careers.
Generation Y, born after 1974, are experiencing an easier start to their careers but saw what the job market did to their parents and older siblings. As a result, Duxbury characterizes them as less willing to be loyal to an organization or to make personal sacrifices for their job.
Consider the potential for conflict these demographic factors could create in a 4-generation workplace. The Gen Xers may be looking at their older coworkers thinking "Retire already!" so they can finally advance. They may think the Gen Yers are spoiled brats because they started in the company at higher levels and don't seem to work as hard. The Veterans and early Boomers may see the Gen Xers as whiners and the Gen Yers as lazy. Recognizing that these conflicts reflect a diversity issue may help us behave more sensitively towards our coworkers before office politics become another barrier to our career success.
What is the good news? Duxbury predicts that a seller's market for labour is finally coming, due to retirements as well as a birth rate that has, since 1968, been lower than that needed for replacement of workers. Organizations are already starting to feel this trend. The Vancouver Sun (July 15, 2006, p. E4) reprinted an article about how the hot labour market in the U.S. is causing companies to change in order to attract Gen Y employees. Duxbury was recently quoted in the Ottawa Citizen saying that, based on her survey of 180,000 federal public servants, the government will have to become more people-driven, not just to attract Gen Yers but to retain their workforce of Boomers and Gen Xers whose skills and experience will meet growing demand.
The message is that job seekers can increasingly afford to be more selective than they have in the past. For Gen Yers this should come naturally. Other generations will have to learn.
Ruth Silverman, MEd, CCC is a Counsellor/ Facilitator with SCCI Project Restart Ltd.