The Perfect Labor Storm 2.0: Workforce Trends That Will Change the Way You Do Business - Hardcover

Nearly 20 years ago, The Perfect Labor Storm started brewing. Job requirements dropped so low that jokes about "warm body" hiring and the "mirror" test (if candidates could fog a mirror, they qualified) became mainstream conversation in boardrooms and Human Resources departments. But much like discussions about climate change controversy ensued. A dot-com bust, 9/11, and the Great Recession was proof enough for the pundits and naysayers that shortages of skilled workers was merely anecdotal. Some even suggested it was a hoax. 
But not unlike the Andrea Gail, the boat sucked under by the colossal force two days before the full force of "The Perfect Storm" hit, many businesses and organizations are meeting the same fate. Skilled workers are becoming harder and harder to find. While managers and business owners were hoping that the dark clouds would pass over, they failed to understand that this Perfect Storm was unlike any other crisis they ever confronted.  Many if not most never took the Perfect Labor Storm seriously. Their wait-and-see attitude and shortsighted strategies is sinking their Andrea Gails - the businesses they caption.
Since the mid 1990s author Ira S Wolfe has tracked the past and future careers of workers while studying  demographic and socio-economic trends set against a background of an unprecedented pace of technological advancement. When Wolfe first introduced The Perfect Labor Storm Generation X was the youngest generation. Since that time, Millennials and now Generation Z have assumed that position while the oldest Gen X are now 50+ years old. 
The Perfect Labor Storm details multiple factors converging that can't be ignored.  For starters, a shortage of skilled workers exists as predicted by Wolfe.  While not evenly distributed, no industry or geographic boundary is protected. But the shortage is almost a symptom and not the cause of bigger problems.  
Aging populations, five generations working simultaneously, globalization, a crazy pace of technological change, and the growth of female breadwinners have converged to upset norms and traditions. Adding salt to the wound is an ailing healthcare system, failing education for the middle and lower class, increasing employee turnover, obesity, and number of other contributing factors.
Future labor shortages will not blow over. Time has proven that we are experiencing structural disruption in our economy and labor markets unlike any time since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. Management, politicians, and bureaucrats are playing in a new sandbox.  The Perfect Labor Storm lays out in detail why shortages of skilled workers will not blow over and initiates the conversation that must take place.