Preparing For Tomorrow’s Workforce…Strategically

Steve Yakesh

March 13, 2013

From generation to generation, leaders of companies have made adjustments in regards to “tomorrow’s workforce.” How will today’s leaders need to adjust? Frequently discussed topics include everything from technology improvements to on-shore vs. off-shore resources to the debated differences of Gen Y employees vs. other employee generations.

United States colleges are adding over 1,750,000 to “tomorrow’s workforce” every year. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10,000 people could leave our workforce on a daily basis as they turn 65, and this will continue through 2030. That’s 3,650,000 of today’s workforce every year that are eligible for retirement. Of course, not everyone ends up retiring at 65 these days, but even if 70% do (and we continue to gain 1,750,000 college graduates every year), we’ll lose over 800,000 people annually from the US workforce.

Bottom line: Tomorrow’s workforce is shrinking

As the US, and more specifically, Minnesota’s workforce continues to shrink, companies will need to get more out of less. Technology enhancements will help, but it will become even more critical to have the very best people in every seat of your organization and to drive higher productivity on an individual basis.

With 19 Fortune 500 companies and many other large private companies in Minnesota, competition for top talent will be strong.

How will you prepare? Here are two important questions you’ll want to ask:

How will I attract top-tier talent?
How will I retain tomorrow’s workforce once hired?

Develop a strategy for those two questions, and your company will attract top-tier talent, despite the challenges of tomorrow’s workforce!

Steve Yakesh / About Author

As President, Direct Hire & Executive Search, Steve leads Versique’s award-winning permanent placement division with more than 20 years of experience. Additionally, he guides strategy for Versique’s twelve practice areas, including IT, HR, Finance & Accounting, Engineering & Operations, Sales, CPG, Digital Marketing, Executive Retained Search, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Family Owned and Demand Generation.

His diverse background and wide breadth of expertise add considerable value to Versique’s executive retained search team. Prior to Versique, Steve held numerous sales and marketing leadership roles and gained extensive experience inside both a global 50 and fortune 500 company.

Steve’s Approach
With a background in sales and marketing, Steve brings a unique skill set to the team and understands there’s no room for error in the selection of critical roles like CEO. He has a natural aptitude for leadership, which was developed through roles at a variety of companies prior to joining Versique over fifteen years ago. Steve has spoken nationally to audiences ranging from business owners and leaders to agency recruiters on the topic of generating qualified candidates and leads, which has led to significant financial results for those in attendance as well as for the organizations he has recruited for.

Steve is a recruiting practitioner who intimately understands the industry and the issues facing each position he fills. Additionally, he has the expertise to identify which candidates are capable of effectively operating within each role and, equally as important, within the culture of each organization. Steve’s approach accounts for each candidates competencies, personality traits, motivating factors and the past experiences that make them a good fit for the role.