US faces severe worker shortage in future

[BushOut06]

When I read this, I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or both.

WASHINGTON - The United States faces a severe worker shortage in the near future, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday in advocating better education for Americans and changes in immigration law to allow in more foreign workers.

Chamber President and CEO Thomas Donohue, at a news conference outlining business prospects in 2006, said the country is ill-prepared to deal with the impending retirement of 77 million baby boomers.

"We have yet to secure an adequate supply of working taxpayers to run a growing economy and support an explosion of retirees," he said in his organization's report on the state of U.S. business.

Donohue said that working to pass new immigration law that includes a guest worker program will be among the Chamber's top legislative priorities in the new year. He said the Chamber opposed a bill passed by the House in December, which tightens border security and requires employers to verify the legal status of workers but does not address the guest worker issue.

He dismissed as a "crummy argument" criticisms that the business community wants a guest worker program to secure access to cheap labor. "What American companies want is labor, and we are going to be significantly without it," Donohue said.

The Senate is expected to take up the immigration issue next month, and Donohue said his group will be "working to obtain a bill that provides the workers and is in keeping without our legacy as a welcoming nation."

Donohue said the Chamber has traditionally stayed out of school reform at the state and local level, but has changed its thinking in a global environment where China graduates eight times, and India five times, as many engineers as the United States.

He said the Chamber plans to measure and rank the performance of state school systems, with the aim of helping businesses decide where to locate. The Chamber is also working with other business organizations to double the number of math, science and engineering graduates by 2015.

Donohue said that among the business group's other legislative goals this year will be passing legislation to shore up pension plans, finding a solution to the asbestos litigation crisis, promoting health savings accounts and other new approaches to reducing the number of those without health insurance, and opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Outer Continental Shelf to environmentally sound oil and gas exploration.

[Turbineguy]

1. Yeah especially

those willing to live with their parents and make minimum wage!

[BlueEyedSon]

2. LMFAO... there is a shortage of JOBS. They all went OFFSHORE.

[aquart]

3. What a steaming pile of pasture pastry.

[Kber]

4. God forbid the balance of power between corporations

and workers shifts to favor workers for a while - can't have that now can we.

[China_cat]

5. How do you graduate engineers and scientists

with the religious assault on teaching anything scientific? Even math. The bible works out a circular bath so that pi=3.0...at a time when the Greeks had it down to at least 5 decimal points.

[Clark2008]

34. That's actually the thrust of the story.

I don't think there will be a shortage of WORKERS, just a shortage of workers trained to do the jobs and have the knowledge and experience the baby boomers will take with them when they retire.

However, it's hard to gain knowledge and experience in certain highly-paid industries when the only jobs available to young people is managing a burger joint or Wal-mart retail.

[LostinVA]

6. Gosh, I guess this means we should outsource more jobs

before it's too late.

Whatever.

[chat_noir]

7. Baby Boomers are approaching retirement age

[zaj]

19. There is a very real issue here... those complaining here look foolish.

And they make our party look bad.

There is a huge poplulation block that will retire/die in the next 20+ years. Our economy is based in large part upon population growth. Salaries will in fact increase and demand for (and pay for) all kinds of will increase again (like they did in the IT industry in the 90s).

Why so many DUers feel the need to pretend like this issue doesn't exist is a major issue.

[lumpy]

27. A very real issue is the outsourcing of jobs

overseas, corporate operations in foreign countries and the obese failure of trickle-down economics.

[MadHound]

29. Do some research friend, then get back to us

The "Labor Shortfall" myth is just that, a myth. Here are several good reasons why

First off, people are working longer. Those working into their late sixties has jumped above 26%, That means that while the median and average age of the labor pool will rise, it doesn't mean that there will be a shortfall. This is all the more likely as the average lifespan goes above 77yo, and with health costs for the elderly going through the roof.

Secondly you're underestimating the capability of the younger generation. While the baby boom generation outnumbered the baby buster generation that followed it, college gradutation rates for the busters far outstripped the boomers. When the boomers were at their height of their college years, there was an average of 930,000 bachelors degrees given out each year. But the following generation graduated far more, with 1.16 million degrees awarded being their LOW point.

Then there is the up and coming Echo Boom, that generation of people who are at the end of their high school years, or just entering their college years. This too is a large amount of people, and they will be entering the workforce within five-ten years.

And besides, it isn't like the US hasn't experienced a labor shortfall before, we have and we've gotten through it just fine, why? Because productivity went up, that's why. US productivity is six times greater than it was at the end of WWII, yet the labor force is only two times as big. And with more and better labor saving devices already in place, or just on the horizon, that productivity number is going to go through the roof.

Sorry friend, but you're off base on this one. Corporate America absolutely detested what went on in the '90s, when the labor market was tight and they had to pay out more. They have learned their lesson from that little short term setback and are already laying the groundwork for forestalling any chance of labor getting a break in this country. They are going to use this impending faux crisis to up the number of immigrants in so that they can keep the price of labor down. They will also use this as an excuse to continue to bleed jobs overseas with outsourcing. This is nothing more than another ploy to keep labor on its knees and subservient to Corporate America. Don't fall for the BS.

[lumpy]

36. Thank you..thank you... thank you,

MadHound for you thoughtful, informative post.

[MadHound]

41. No problem,

Just letting a little truth shine in.

[Critters2]

35. I'm confused....

salaries going up is a bad thing....?

:shrug:

[ixion]

8. alrighty then... so much hypocrisy to chew on here

a) The operative phrase: 'Working Taxpayer' shows the true intent behind the tax cuts for the top 1%. If you got no middle class slaves to pay the way, the lords might actually have to carry some of the weight themselves.



b) So how does this jibe with the Bushbots so-called War on Science? Note: yet another war against an abstract concept, but that's another argument. Seriously though, how do they expect to have an educated work force when they slash funds for education, and declare all science to be blasphemy? Just askin'.

[Deja Q]

38. And the lords want all for nothing.

So while we are paying foreigners all the money for free education and work, we are asked to join the military...

Things are going to crash soon. And the line between laughing and crying is melting as quickly as the polar ice caps are. :nopity:

[orwell]

9. Crap...

...There is a monstrous global labor pool. The problem is how to offset the deflationary aspects of incredibly cheap global labor with the need for constant asset price inflation to support the vast pile of credit and debt that underlies the US economy.

If this guy is this clueless, what is he doing as CEO of the US Chamber of Congress.

[welshTerrier2]

10. kill social security and medicare, destroy pensions, bust unions

yeah, baby boomers are approaching retirement ...

and the neo-con agenda is to wage war on them so that their golden years will be spent serving the Corporate State ... many boomers will not be able to retire or will be forced out of retirement because of right-wing, corporate policies ...

allowing more immigration is the least of our problems ... war is being waged against all American workers and still there is no strong labor tide from either the public or the Democrats ... better wake up soon ...

[rkc3]

12. Maybe Rick Santorum will get his wish to raise retirement to 72.

He'll work those lazy bastards to death and save our SS money.

God Bless America.

End Sarcasm

[AngryAmish]

11. Boomers will retire and demand that we fund their luxury in perpetuity

gimmie, gimmie, gimmie - the mantra of the baby boomer

[BlueEyedSon]

13. Huh?

[Vincardog]

16. Right Angry Gimmie a decent job, Gimmie a safe work Place.

Gimmie clean AIR and Water. Gimmie Health care. Gimmie Open Fair Elections.
Gimmie some representaion in My Government.

[LincolnMcGrath]

18. ?

[welshTerrier2]

20. the real enemy is the Corporate State

you apparently see generational warfare as a means to better your own existence ... but you're fighting the wrong battle and the wrong enemy ...

baby boomers, like any other generation, seek to live a comfortable retirement as free as possible from worries about poverty, obtaining health care and a decent standard of living ...

all Americans, young and old, deserve a country that does what it can to provide policies that contribute to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ... the real enemy is the Corporate State; not one generation or another ...

[Bridget Burke]

21. Luxury?

Yeah, I'll probably get a pension. (I'm paying in to it.) And Social Security. (& I'm paying there, too.) But I was a strain on the system from an early age; I got Social Security from age 4 through 18--because my father died. There may be Health Care Coverage--but a Health Savings Account won't cut it.

If you're willing to accept what Bush & his pals offer you & not ask for more, that's your problem.

[lumpy]

28. Boomer's luxury ?

Bullshit!

[Loonman]

14. Boomers = Hippies?

Yes, no?

[Bridget Burke]

23. Generation Whatevers = Whining Slackers?

Yes, no?

[Elwood P Dowd]

15. Donohue has told more lies than any lobbyist in Washington history.

He also threatens congressional members who don't support his agenda. "Vote like I say, or chamber members will cut off your campaign contributions."

Donohue was one of the leaders in pushing NAFTA, GATT, WTO, GATS, CAFTA, FTA, Telecommunications Bill, Bankruptcy Bill, and various other anti-worker/pro-rich CEO bills. He is one of the biggest liars and one of the biggest crooks to ever set foot in DC.

[LincolnMcGrath]

17. This is why I refuse to support our local CoC

The whole bunch of goon and kneecappers want to put the working man back in their place.

[Elwood P Dowd]

22. The Chamber is totally controlled by big business.

:mad:

[MountainLaurel]

31. Amen. n/t

[lumpy]

25. 'US workers don't have the needed skills '.

(to paraphrase) This is the answer Donohue provided when asked why jobs were being outsourced to other countries such as India.

[BushOut06]

26. Bullshit

American workers have the skills, period. The problem is these greedy corporations would rather pay pennies on the dollar to get cheap labor in India, Mexico, and third-world countries.

[lumpy]

33. Donohue represents the corporate greed

that has taken over the economy of this country. Of course American workers have the skills to fulfill job requirements. Top CEOs are willing to take the money and run to their villas in Italy, etc, and to hell with the future of this country. These are the people that Donohue represents.

[butterfly77]

24. Why in the hell don't they train the people ...

we have in this country,they go get someone from other countries and train and house them but won't do the same for an american. They rather cause more crime and build more jails.

[newportdadde]

30. Yet they wont train anyone to replace them! Nobody is hiring noobs!

My company has had a hiring freeze now for 5 years. We have programming systems here that only one or two people on the face of the earth know what to do with. Instead of bringing in young people and training them by giving them the grunt work, all of the grunt work is offshored. All that experience lost, even if the Indian contractor is onshore they all leave by the time they are late 20s to go home and get married, experience is just getting wasted.

I'm still the 'youngin' at freakin 30 lmao. Seriously I'm the only one in my knowledge area under 45, maybe when they all leave I can finally get a decent raise.

[Deja Q]

39. Bingo. WE have shown signs of wanting to be trained. AND

I've read plenty of articles saying how employers need to keep their workforce trained.

I've shown interest AND ability in other areas - and management does not listen or encourage, despite writing in my review I need to show interest. :wtf: They prefer pidgeonholing and elimination; like any corporation does. Bottom line stuff, that's all they give a fuck about. And do not forget that.

But due to high education costs, employers don't want to splurge. At least on us. Splurging on groups of people ripe for exploitation, on the other hand, is totally welcomed.

[butterfly77]

43. Not saying that there is a desperate need for this type of job but...

the other night, I saw a story on cnn about how a lot of pianos were destroyed in the Katrina hurricane, and they didn't have but 4 people who knew how to tune and fix pianos.

That is what is wrong with this country they stop training , and having apprenticeships on how to do certain jobs. When I was in my teens me and my friends wanted to be seamstresses and we found out it was hard to find a job sewing for a living unless you were in new york or some third world country, which is what the repugs are turning us into.


We don't make anything here anymore but jails , computers and robots to take the jobs from humans.

[area51]

32. "severe worker shortage..."

What fscking bullshit. As another poster said, we have a job shortage in this country. We are overpopulated in relation to the number of jobs available.

More crap from the GW Hoover admin to be able to import more cheap foreign labor & finish turning us into a 2-tier society of the haves & have-nots.

[Deja Q]

37. Well, * has opened up H1Bs for foreigners and trains THEM with OUR tax $

Seems the political side, like the corporate side, has no qualms urinating on us either.

The "crisis" is corporate made, it's as simple as that.

Sky high education costs are a big part of the originating problem.

Now add in cost of NECESSITIES and things get worse.

Then add in OFFSHORING AND OFFPEOPLING and people will no longer give a fuck. People want and deserve the same that their employers expect from them. The situation is so slanted in favor of corporations... never mind how seeing no future in a career they want will dissuade them FROM enrolling. Who the frig wants to spend $30k or more on a career going off to China?

AMERICAN WORKERS ARE NOT STUPID. THE CORPORATE ELITE ARE. IF NOT THE POLITICIANS FOR BLINDLY SUPPORTING THE CORPORATE ELITE.

The US is becoming a mental cesspool. And the working class is not the problem. Though why we are scapegoated as the problem is beyond me. (or maybe not; could it be the usual "we think we can fix the problem by fiddling with the symptom"...)

[Elwood P Dowd]

40. One more thing about the scumbag Donohue

It use to make me sick at my stomach to watch Dems like Bill Clinton, Robert Matsui, Bill Richardson, John Kerry, and others jump in bed with Donohue and his band of corporate crooks. They chose to take Donohue's money rather than do what was best for our country.

[Hubert Flottz]

42. We should all start preaching and quit our day jobs!

Jerry and Pat are rolling in mass quantities of easy tax free cash and eating chicken and dumplings three meals a day. And Jimmy Swagger almost single handedly supports the economy down in the red light district. Spending the Lord's loot downtown on some of the finer things in life, seems to be the odor of the day, for the modern day bush loving televangelist.(pun intended) You gotta admit the heavenly host of benefits are pretty good, while our make believe "GOOD" economy is as good as it is in Bush's redundant TALL TALES(LIES)that he repeats daily like a broken record.

Gawd tells Shrub and his crony GOPer soul mates, to lie, cheat, steal and obstruct justice, if you foolishly believe the load of crap that Jerry and Pat preach to their faithful flockers, as they fleece them VIA cable TV every week.


CEO Thomas Donohue's comments are just a repeat, word for word, of the hard Reich's old stale fascist agenda. How much cash per hour, would CEO Thomas Donohue be willing to do an HONEST day's work for. Would he ever pick fruit in the hot sun, or pluck chickens for minimum wage? Would he work 25,000 feet underground, in a coal mine that he was afraid to walk into every shift? And I wonder about his pension plan. Could he support his family on minimum wage? Will someone like Ken Lay, or Jackie the snitch, abscond with CEO Thomas Donohue's life savings, retirement and medical care too? CEO Thomas Donohue wants to pollute all our golden ponds with total poverty and his old toxic hard line GOP bullshit.

Q . Why does Thomas Donohue and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, hate working, taxpaying, loyal, Americans?

A . They will only love us when we will all work for the wages folks in Red China are making per hour and have benefits like they have in Red China and like it!

[HughBeaumont]

44. He means: shortage of workers who'll slave for 10k/yr or less . . .

. . . when it costs about 3-12 times that much to live in any mid-market to large city in America.

Labor shortage, my ASS. Cheap-labor Conservaturds like Donahue want zero-sum Reaganomics back in vogue. Can't have those fucking peons attain spending power.