Labor forecasting is a technique used by many business researchers to measure the current employment trends in order to project future job opportunities.  Many factors are taken into consideration to calculate outcomes including the rapid growth of technology and automation.  Julie Bort, Business Insider editor, quoted Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who was speaking at the American Enterprise Institute:  “Technology over time will reduce the demand for jobs, particularly at the lower end of the skill set…20 years from now, the labor demand for lots of skill sets will be substantially lower.  I don’t think people have that in their mental model.”  Gates goes on to explain that increasingly, jobs will be lost to software and robots.

How can educators better prepare students for work in what appears to be a shrinking job market?  For now, the answer may lie in helping students, perhaps as early as kindergarten, to develop work-related skills and abilities. If the demand for human labor will be reduced over the next two decades, that means that today’s toddlers will be entering a labor force offering jobs, most of which do not yet exist.

In order to help prepare students for the workforce, Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) learning standards were developed.  CDOS learning standards and activities begin in kindergarten and continue through grade 12.  They contain universal foundation skills which were developed in the early 1990s by a commission approved by the US Secretary Labor. It contained findings which are widely used today.  In total, eight areas were identified.  The first three are foundational: basic skills, thinking skills and personal qualities.  The remaining five are workplace oriented: resources, interpersonal, information, systems and technology.

In addition to helping students to identify and develop skill sets, it is critical that educators are aware of current employment opportunities as well developing labor trends.  If students are to be adequately prepared for their futures, it is essential that they fully recognize which careers are available and also how to prepare for them.  There a number of resources available which provide reasonably current data on current job opportunities, employment trends and labor forecasts through 2022.

One excellent source for identifying job opportunities is a web-based tool developed by the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL).  Career Zone was created for middle and high school youth to provide resources for career awareness, job exploration and more.  There is no fee to access Career Zone.  Users can easily search information about specific jobs and within seconds they will be provided with much information including whether or not the career outlook is favorable.  This is not an exact science, of course, because there are many factors that must be considered including skills, education and demographics.  Nonetheless, it is a useful place to begin and Career Zone was designed to be student-friendly.

Information about local employment trends and workforce predictions is published monthly by the NYSDOL Division of Research and Statistics.  Career categories are broken down by counties and information includes numbers of persons employed in various industries. According to the report published in October 2015, in our area approximately 3,200 persons are employed in the computer and electronic manufacturing industry, for example, while over 10 times as many (33,100) are employed in educational services.  It is important to recognize that work opportunities vary according to industry needs.

Students can learn about workforce offerings and labor statistics by viewing a site offered by the United States Department of Labor.  It is interactive and it includes career videos, games, puzzles, quizzes and more.  It is intended for grades four through 12.  For more information, about this website, be sure to check out the School Tool, featured on page three of this publication.

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