The Manager's Pocket Guide to Leadership Skills

Workforce Composition Changes

In addition to environmental and economic changes, our workforce has also dramatically changed. Several major trends have contributed to this new workforce.

1.  In the last 50 years, the most significant change in our workforce has been the number of women on the job. In the 1950s, less than 35% of American women worked outside the home. In 1960, less than 40% of them did. But, the social changes of the late 1960s and early 1970s, coupled with genuine financial necessity, allowed women to gain a foothold in the business world. By 1985, 61% of all married women with children were part of the labor force—more than twice the 1960 rate of 28%. This trend is continuing. By the year 2000, it is estimated by the Department ...