The Penn Foster Blog

Across a multitude of industries, employers have been struggling to find " and retain " quality talent. However, the root of this issue is highly contested. While some critics challenge the very existence of it, 92% of executives agree that there is a skills gap in the U.S. workforce, resulting in companies' inability to adequately fill their workforce.1 Where does this problem stem from? There are many factors working together that have led to the skills shortage, and we'll explore several of them in the article below.  

The face of the American working class is changing. Whereas once the phrase "working class American" conjured up images of men working in factories or on construction sites, today the majority of the working class is employed in the service industry.

It's no secret that the healthcare industry is growing exponentially in the United States. With an aging Baby Boomer population, the industry as a whole is expected to expand by 19% in the next decade, adding over 2.3 million jobs1. This includes jobs in every facet of the industry, including physicians, nurses, hospital administrators, home health aides, medical coders & billers, nursing assistants, and more.

Talent retention has become a mandate for any company that wishes to be successful today. Seventy-eight percent of business leaders surveyed by Deloitte ranked employee retention and engagement as either important or urgent.1 One reason is the growing awareness of the expense of replacing employees, which Deloitte says can cost up to twice a departing employee's salary.2

Within the next decade, the overall number of Security Guards in the United States is expected to grow by 5%, adding over 200,000 new job openings by 2024. These job prospects were described as "excellent" by the Bureau of Labor Statistics1. Security Guards are critical personnel at a range of locations in every facet of the U.S. economy, including banks, hospitals, hotels & resorts, casinos, stadiums, universities, and malls.

There are always lists of the latest "hot skills' in demand. But even the most sought-after skills need to be accompanied by soft skills in order to be desireable. Soft skills give job seekers the competitive edge needed to land a job. It's not just nuts-and-bolts training; you could be a UI designer or senior software engineer, and still be turned down if you're not the right culture fit. Here, we examine what it takes beyond knowing "your stuff' and what employers say set candidates apart.

High school equivalency exams are designed for individuals 16 years of age and older who are not in school and no longer eligible to attend high school. These tests give youth and adults the opportunity to demonstrate they possess a level of knowledge and skills equivalent to what is required to earn a high school diploma. If a student passes the test, they earn a state-issued high school equivalency credential, which is necessary to qualify for an increasing majority of jobs in the United States and a prerequisite for enrolling in postsecondary training and education.

The Leisure and Hospitality industry, as a whole, is expected add over 900 million jobs by 20241. Guest Service Agents are the lifeblood this industry, consisting of customer facing positions such as Front Desk Associate, Concierge, and Guest Service Specialist. These positions are at locations such as, but not limited to, hotels, resorts, casinos, and cruise lines.

You've most likely heard of food deserts, a term describing the systematic structural inequality of access to healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods across low-income and communities of color. These inequalities also stem across access to housing, healthcare and transportation.  A report from the American Council on Education's Center for Policy and Research Strategy has proposed a new term to describe a similar situation involving educational equity and opportunity. Education deserts convey how similar lines have been drawn for educational access based on geography. The report emphasises that place matters greatly when considering going to college, especially for nontraditional students.

Companies are increasingly recognizing the value of offering training and development programs for their employees. In 2014, businesses spent an average of $1,229 per employee on training and development initiatives, according to the Association for Talent Development's latest annual State of the Industry report.1 Employees received an average of 32.4 hours of training, while employees in organizations recognized by ATD as demonstrating the most enterprise-wide success received 43.9 hours of training. Bersin by Deloitte principal Josh Bersin also notes that high-performing companies spend more per employee on training.2