It comes as no
surprise that technology was the first cause listed for long term trends in the
labor market. Technology is something
that has consistently been discussed throughout the semester which has an
impact on careers, the hiring process, and tenure. Technology has been eliminating jobs and
decreasing the need for numerous occupations over the years, and it continues
to do so in the present. Some of the
jobs that are declining are telemarketers, postal workers, computer operators,
and more. Technology is becoming so
advanced that machines are operating our phones and creating programs for
machines to complete jobs that were once performed by people (Brown, 2012, p.
364). Technology is taking the personal
touch out of business operations and utilizing a more cost effective
approach. By doing so, they are sacrificing
basic human interaction which can be a comfort to many people when they are
attempting to call a business or seek service.
Other factors
that contribute to long term trends in the labor market are the global economy,
the population, and the size of our government.
An example of the global economy factoring into the labor market is the
decrease in the housing market. Houses
are very cheap right now and difficult to sell due to many people being
unemployed, laid off, out of work, or struggling to make ends meet. This caused construction workers to be
underemployed because new houses could not be sold, so therefore they were not
being built. In regards to the
population, illegal workers comprise a large portion of our population which
creates a debate amongst companies of whether to embrace them or deport them. Lastly, the size of our government plays a
role because agreement cannot be reached on whether to downsize or keep the
current amount of people in the government (Brown, 2012, p. 368). Taxpayers pay the salaries of government
employees which creates anger and irritation for many Americans. Many debates take place regarding these
issues, but they each contribute to the future job market because of their
contradictory status.
All of these ideas led me to the same place I was before
I read the chapter. How do we fix these
issues? Since nobody can agree it seems
our country is bound to continue losing jobs, outsourcing business, and
slumping into a depression. The jobs that are projected to experience
growth are jobs that do not require additional training or education which is
disheartening. The emphasis that is now
placed on attending college and receiving a postsecondary education is very
high; however, once the degree is obtained the person may be jobless. It doesn’t seem to provide an incentive to go
to college, work hard, or earn your degree.
Essentially, it seems like the future for our generation is in
waitressing and making minimum wage. It
seems dull and dismal which is depressing.
This chapter didn’t provide hope for things to get better in the future
economy; instead it confirmed despair.
References
Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career
counseling, and career development (10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.
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