http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Intelligence/10-Trends-That-Will-Change-Your-Workplace-580123/?kc=BLBLBEMNL09082011STR2
The first one is:
Top Demographic Trends:
- Baby Boomers leaving the workplace
- Global shortage of skilled workers
- Increases in chronic health conditions
Baby Boomers (or just 'boomers') is the term to children born between 1946 and 1964. Basically the concept is that as soldiers came home from World War II, they had children. (WWII ended in 1945). The parents of the boomers has been called "the Greatest Generation" - as they lived through the Great Depression and into World War II and the post war economy.
The 1950's saw a great growth in population, in housing building, increase in schools, etc. For colleges, the 1965 incoming freshmen was sometimes twice as large as the freshmen of 1964.
The GI Bill helped parents get an education and the world changed. Prior to WWII, if your father was a carpenter, you became a carpenter; if your father was a mechanic, you became a mechanic. But, with more education, you did not have to follow your father's direction - you became your own person.
But ... now the first of the boomers is turning 65 - many have already retired - and the job force is changing - which can be considered both good and bad. The good is that some of these boomers have not kept up with technologies, are not as productive as they once were and their leaving jobs opens jobs to younger more technological savvy employees. The bad is that these people really know the business and have a lot of collective wisdom in running, managing, and doing business.
As I write this, I am 64 - one of the early boomers (born in 1947). I think I have kept up with technology (part of my job is to be relatively current); and I think I have more wisdom and understanding than others. Retirement is a concept yet for me, not on my immediate agenda. I hope to be able to teach, instruct, lead and guide a new generation into technology and critical thinking and problem solving.
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