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Closing the Generation Divide: Shifting Workforce Demographics and the Learning Function

Closing the Generation Divide: Shifting Workforce Demographics and the Learning Function
IBM Institute for Business Value study
Industry: Cross-industry
Last updated: 15 Sep 2006
   Download complete IBM Institute for Business Value study ( 245KB )
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Summary

Shifting workforce demographics and the learning function

Changing workforce demographics are having a notable effect on organizations across a variety of industries and geographies. While the learning function has significant opportunities to help companies address issues associated with this shift, it needs to reorient its focus and capabilities. To help mitigate the challenges of retiring workers and their subsequent replacements, the learning function needs to play a role in areas such as determining critical skills and capabilities, transferring knowledge and reducing time-to-competence for newer employees.

As a result of a shift in employee demographics, many organizations are looking to solve a number of important learning-related challenges. In some companies, increasing numbers of employees are retiring, many leaving with sizable amounts of knowledge that can place the organization at risk.

For others, the challenges include maintaining a productive workforce in the face of potentially shrinking labor pools and the increased mobility of the younger generation of employees. Several industries, as diverse as electric utilities, oil and gas producers, healthcare and the public sector, are clearly feeling the effects of employee retirements and the difficulty in sourcing new talent.


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About the author
iEric Lesser
Eric Lesser is an Associate Partner with over 15 years of research and consulting experience in the area of human capital management. He is currently responsible for research and thought leadership on human capital issues at the IBM Institute for Business Value.
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