Premium
How Should Water Utilities Prepare for a Future Labor Shortage?
Author(s) -
Kline Pat
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
opflow
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1551-8701
pISSN - 0149-8029
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8701.2007.tb01909.x
Subject(s) - economic shortage , boom , workforce , baby boom , labour economics , business , natural resource economics , economics , operations management , economic growth , engineering , medicine , environmental health , environmental engineering , government (linguistics) , population , linguistics , philosophy
This month's question asks about preparing for a future shortage of water treatment plant (WTP) operators. The article provides background statistics on the Baby Boom Generation, and states that a major portion of the U.S. workforce will be retiring between the years 2011 and 2029. Future employees are fewer in number by about 15 percent, thus suggesting that there won't be enough workers to fill the present number of positions. The article suggests steps that utilities can take to prepare for this.