The Skilled Labor and Aging Workforce Dilemma
15 CVSN iNSiDER December 2009 DiSTRiBUTiON PERSPECTiVE paul raYMond Parts for Trucks, Inc. THE SKillED lABOR AND AGiNG WORK-FORCE DilEMMA Finding experienced personnel. Our workforce is aging. We need to motivate young people to learn the skills required in our industry. Haven't heard those comments lately? Think back a moment. These were concerns frequent-ly made less than two years ago by business leaders at panel discussions and in magazine articles. It was a common theme at our busi-ness meetings and conventions. The recession has blurred our memory and allowed us to ig-nore these warning signs. Our priorities have shifted dramatically and very quickly. As we hunker down to more of a survival mode, employee numbers have usually con-tracted not expanded. We have stopped talk-ing about a chronic shortage of skilled repair technicians. Fleets no longer complain loudly about a lack of qualified drivers. Counter staff are far less inclined to search for better oppor-tunities at a competitor and entry level posi-tions are easier to fill because there are fewer openings and more applicants. I am not suggesting this is a silver lining on a very dark cloud. There is no good news for companies which are struggling or workers who are unemployed. My point is that the problem with finding skilled staff and replac-ing an aging workforce has not gone away. The fundamental issues remain and have merely been camouflaged by the recession. Business runs in cycles. The economy will return to busier times. I have no insight how quickly this will happen, or what shape the re-covery curve will resemble. We have all heard speculation that we could see a V' or a W , a U shaped graph. Or it may be some other shape that will cause economists to create new theories and write more books. The pace of recovery will likely vary from one region to another. And the landscape may well have transformed, but heavy duty truck and trailers will continue to play a significant role in our economy. These vehicles will need to be serviced and that requires people, people with skills. Truck repairs and the associated work at the parts counter cannot be out-sourced to Asia. We will still need to identify and spec the correct replacement part, handle cores, process warranty claims and maintain appropriate levels of inven-tory to service our customers efficiently. Looking forward, dealing with labour short-ages could be even more challenging than in pre-recession years. That aging workforce will be a few years older. The first baby boomers will be 65 in two years time. As the economy improves so will investments and those people who have deferred their retirement plans, and are now seeing better returns, may suddenly activate them. Retiring staff are more likely to be in supervi-sory and management positions, a crucial part of any organization. There will be a noticeable shortage of suitable candidates to replace them because we have put training efforts to groom CONTiNUE ARTiClE ON PAGE 21 ยป