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DIVERSITY REPORT
By Terry Cox
Diversity Update
In July I had the privilege of attending the 13th Annual APSE Conference
in down town Minneapolis. For those of you who might not be familiar with
this organization, APSE, the Association for Persons in Supported
Employment, is a membership organization formed in 1988 to improve and
expand integrated employment opportunities, services, and outcomes for
persons experiencing disabilities. APSE members come from all over the
United States and several foreign countries including Australia, Canada,
China, England, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and New
Zealand.
The conference was very informative and made for an eye opening
experience, especially in the area of attracting, developing and retaining
talent for an organization. During these down times in the economy many of
us may have temporarily lost sight of what is happening, in the longer
term, to our pool of skilled people in the United States. The U.S Bureau
of Labor Statistics reports in labor market trends for the years 2000-2010
we will see our labor force grow by 17 million people. However, our
employment will grow by 22.2 million, leaving us with a shortage of 5
million workers. Most jobs of the future will require technical skills and
some "on-the-job training." 8 out of 10 of the fastest growing occupations
are in the Information Technology field. Half of the IT jobs will remain
unfilled due to this shortage of technical skills.
One organization at the conference had conducted a study and reported on
the steps companies have taken to prepare for this skill shortage. 11% of
the companies surveyed had taken some action to deal with the upcoming and
chronic shortage. However over 80% of the companies surveyed had done
nothing to deal with the situation. Lack of skill and talent will create
significant costs for a company in the areas of reduced customer
satisfaction, loss of market share, decreased moral, increased turnover,
lower productivity and reduced shareholder value. As business owners and
professionals we certainly have a challenge ahead of us to meet the human
resource needs of our organizations.
Throughout the conference I saw many success stories that involved
tremendous courage and determination on the part of individuals. I also
saw several organizations that had capitalized on their ability to look
beyond a person's disability and focus on their "abilities". I learned a
good deal about this untapped resource, which many employers may not have
considered. There are more than 55 million Americans with Disabilities.
This is one out of five of all Americans. Only 32% of these people are
working. 66% of the remainder want to work. This is 25 million potential
workers. People with disabilities are the fastest growing minority group
in the United States. Due to the technology that is now available many
doors have been opened to people who are experiencing disabilities.
Studies have shown that 69% of the accommodations provided for persons
experiencing disabilities cost less than $500.
For more information you may want to visit the following Websites:
www.uschamber.com
www.worksupport.com
www.apse.org
www.usbln.com
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