This Week's Herman Trend Alert Purpose Emerging as Important Driver of Engagement

The Herman Trend Alert January 29, 2003 Custom and Specialized Production A subtle shift is underway in the American workplace. The consequences of this shift will influence education, training and development, work assignment---domestically and globally---the demand for skilled labor, and the kind of work that is performed by companies in the United States and in other countries. Over the past decade, many lower-skilled jobs have been moved from the United States to other countries. We've seen the movement in the automotive, furniture, textile, and apparel industries, to name a few. These jobs can be performed more inexpensively in other countries where supplies of low- skilled and unskilled are plentiful. With lower living standards, workers can afford to work for lower wages than Americans, making the economic work- assignment decisions easy. American employers are encountering shortages of skilled workers, forcing them to consider alternatives to using domestic labor in manufacturing and service roles. Skilled manufacturing jobs are going to countries that have a trained labor force ready to perform the duties as needed. A number of developed, and developing, countries like China and Brazil are increasingly investing resources to educate professionals and build worker skills, making it possible to attract more jobs for very reasonable wages. Service and specialized jobs like daily account reconciliation, error correction, computer programming, engineering, and research are being performed in India and other countries. The assignment of work can now be accomplished on a global basis, thanks to real-time communications and technology transfer. More and more countries will benefit from the ongoing reallocation of work around the world. The United States may be destined to be a world leader in design, development, and management of production, though the work may be done in other countries. American workers will be engaged in short-run fabrication, custom-building of machinery and products, and specialized work in manufacturing, information management, healthcare, and service fields. To perform these higher level tasks, employers in the United States will need workers with skills and agility to move comfortably and efficiently from one kind of work to another. The shortage (www.impendingcrisis.com) of these workers will inhibit American economic growth until the supply is rebuilt and reallocated. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." WHO SENDS OUT YOUR NEWSLETTERS? We are convinced there is no better choice than ours! We have happily used DataBack Systems to deliver The Herman Trend Alert for over 10 years and. Visit their website (http://www.databack.com) or call Byron directly at 503.941.0427. You'll be glad you did. IS YOUR EMPLOYER AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE®? Our effective, onsite seminars, workshops, and consulting can help you get there. We offer 1-, 2-, 3-hour, and full-day programs to help you communicate what it takes to become an Employer of Choice® and inspire your folks to get it done. In the future, being an Employer of Choice® will not be optional. Call Carol at 336-210-3547 to arrange a no-obligation conference call. Or order the electronic version of the Employer of Choice book on your desktop for only $17.80 @ http://hermangroup.com/store/books_all.html#2. STRUGGLING TO FIND THE PEOPLE YOU NEED? VETJOBS CAN HELP! Recently, hundreds of thousands of jobs remain unfilled due to a lack of capable people. If you are looking for qualified candidates, you need to hire a veteran using VFW-sponsored VetJobs, the largest military employment site on the Internet. Thousands of returning veterans are looking for good jobs now. Mention this ad in The Herman Trend Alert and receive a 10% discount on job postings. Call Ted Daywalt at 877-838-5627 or inquire at info@VetJobs.com. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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