More than 770,000 skilled labor and trade jobs have been posted since the beginning of the year, from almost 95,000 different companies, per PeopleReady Skilled Trades. Blue-collar employment is on the rise, with a more than 50% jump in the number of apprentices amid a 15% decline in college enrollment, according to the Wall Street Journal. Full Story: Fox Business (7/18)
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Recruiting & Retention
Create a culture conducive to mental well-being, repair A variety of factors may make employees hesitant to speak up about mental health issues, but a wise leader will create an atmosphere that makes conversations easier, writes Alana Warburton-Whitehead, the well-being lead at Lanes Group. Build an empathetic management culture, offer easy-to-access resources and remind employees frequently that their well-being is important. Full Story: The HR Director (UK) (7/17)
Employers explore bereavement, climate change benefits New solutions are opening up for employers to provide their workers with benefit programs that tackle issues such as grief, caregiving and their worries about climate change. For example, Workplace Healing helps companies develop better bereavement benefits while Benevity is helping employees volunteer or donate via its Climate Action Kit. Full Story: Employee Benefit News (free registration) (7/14)
The upcoming movie "Oppenheimer" leaves out the female scientists who contributed to the development of the atomic bomb, including the discovery of nuclear fission by Lise Meitner, write Carl Kurlander, a senior lecturer in Film and Media Studies, and Chandralekha Singh, a physics professor, both of the University of Pittsburgh. In this article, they write that the continued underrepresentation and omission in popular culture of women in STEM feeds into existing gender bias. Full Story: The Conversation (7/12)
The HR Leader
10 macro ways to take the micro out of your manager Some leaders micromanage from a place of passion -- others as a form of control -- and understanding their motive is the first step in working well under them, writes Steve Keating, who offers nine other tips including seeking feedback, building trust and rapport, then asking for more autonomy. "By showing a willingness to learn and improve, you can demonstrate that you value their input and potentially lessen their inclination to micromanage," Keating writes. Full Story: LeadToday (7/16)
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SmartBreak: Question of the Day
The film "By Love Possessed," with Lana Turner, has the distinction of being the first ever in-flight movie shown on a commercial flight with what carrier? Check your answer here.
In 2018, I covered a keynote that Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs, delivered at the HR technology conference. His talk focused on the important work of the skill trades and the need to nurture this pipeline of talent. To do this, he said, we must stop perpetuating the message that a four-year college degree is the only pathway to a lucrative, satisfying career. “What we’ve basically done is laid out a roadmap that says the best path for the most people is the most expensive path,” he told attendees. “We’ve convinced ourselves that that’s the truth. And we’ve convinced this generation that that’s the truth.” Thankfully, the tide has turned since Rowe’s keynote five years ago. The need for trade workers is spiking, according to our top story today. From March to May, demand for carpenters increased 23% while demand for stonemasons increased 45%. About 95,000 employers across the United States have posted more than 770,000 job postings for skilled labor, since the beginning of the year. This trend fascinates me, especially as AI continues its rapid growth trajectory. Will AI become the new skill worker field? Will colleges and universities be forced to overhaul their models -- shorter time to degree, less theory and more hands-on, practical learning? It’s an interesting question, with enormous possibilities. I sense we’ll hear more and more about this in the coming months and years. What do you think? Do you see skilled labor fields continuing their growth? Will we see new fields emerge? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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