TRB Special Report 275 - The Workforce Challenge: Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Qualified Workers for Transportation and Transit Agencies calls upon surface transportation agencies, the private sector, educational institutions, unions, and employees, to establish training as a key priority. The report recommends that this broad coalition work to expand existing federal and academic resources, create an institutional focus for the issue, and establish human resources management as a strategic function within the transportation community.Special Report 275 Summary

Facing the Challenges of a Multi-Age Workforce examines the shifting economic, cultural, and technological trends in the modern workplace that are taking place as a result of the aging global workforce. Taking an international perspective, contributors address workforce aging issues around the world, allowing for productive cross-cultural comparisons. Chapters adopt a use-inspired approach, with contributors proposing solutions to real problems faced by organizations, including global teamwork, unemployed youth, job obsolescence and over-qualification, heavy emotional labor and physically demanding jobs, and cross-age perceptions and communication. Additional commentaries from sociologists, gerontologists, economists, and scholars of labor and government round out the volume and demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of this important topic.

Few books go into enough depth to really understand the differences between the future generations of professionals to come and the ones that have gone before. This innovative book examines how new generations of the workplace and workforce will be shaped in the future and shows organizations the ways in which they will have to adapt to succeed.

Skilled technical occupationsâ€"defined as occupations that require a high level of knowledge in a technical domain but do not require a bachelor's degree for entryâ€"are a key component of the U.S. economy. In response to globalization and advances in science and technology, American firms are demanding workers with greater proficiency in literacy and numeracy, as well as strong interpersonal, technical, and problem-solving skills. However, employer surveys and industry and government reports have raised concerns that the nation may not have an adequate supply of skilled technical workers to achieve its competitiveness and economic growth objectives. In response to the broader need for policy information and advice, Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce examines the coverage, effectiveness, flexibility, and coordination of the policies and various programs that prepare Americans for skilled technical jobs. This report provides action-oriented recommendations for improving the American system of technical education, training, and certification.

Revised and updated to incorporate new research insights and findings, Managing a Global Workforce provides balanced and contemporary coverage of human resource management in the international marketplace. Directed at future general managers and international executives rather than HR specialists, it is designed to help readers recognize the critical human resource issues underlying the cultural and economic challenges they face. The book's approach is truly global in nature, not just focused on expatriates from the home office. The authors also recognize contemporary trends in the global business arena, including the growing use of contingent workers, strategic alliances, and the need to have an active influence on the workers in these new organizational relationships. Reader-friendly tools, including an opening case scenario in each chapter to attract interest and emphasize topic importance, enhance the book's practical, real-world emphasis. For this edition new end-of-chapter short cases as well as new topics, ideas, and illustrations featuring current issues and challenges such as the global economic challenge have been added; and updated Internet resource references are provided for each chapter.

Headlines frequently appear that purport to highlight the differences among workers of different generations and explain how employers can manage the wants and needs of each generation. But is each new generation really that different from previous ones? Are there fundamental differences among generations that impact how they act and interact in the workplace? Or are the perceived differences among generations simply an indicator of age-related differences between older and younger workers or a reflection of all people adapting to a changing workplace? Are Generational Categories Meaningful Distinctions for Workforce Management? reviews the state and rigor of the empirical work related to generations and assesses whether generational categories are meaningful in tackling workforce management problems. This report makes recommendations for directions for future research and improvements to employment practices.