Has the US labor force been too sedentary in their quest for updating/learning new skills?

If we consider the unemployment figures and that the rate is considerably higher (approx 15% last I read) for those with no education beyond high school, it would stand to reason. As new businesses develop as a result of technology and innovation, new skills need to be developed to keep pace.

Yes, some people have become complacent in their jobs and not willing to take on new skills, especially when it involves new technology -- Web conferencing, database management, document imaging. Technology can be a bit daunting. It's been my experience in more than one organization that even when training is offered, few people take advantage of it unless it is required.

I agree with Paul Bigley. Many people have become of the mindset that somebody, company or government owes them something. Great people overcome great obstacles on their own merit.

I agree with Martin. The companies are not providing training like they used to. In the 80's ago my manager would come by with a list of classes both internal and external and would tell me to pick two to attend. Now, they turn down classes for people to save money. The short sightedness of this is that you cannot plan for the future of the company if you don't invest in your current employees by allowing them to keep up

Maybe the issue as to why corporations aren't providing adequate training to update skills lies within the tax code. They may say under their breath, "Well, they tax the heck out of us, let the government pay for training American employees". Government clearly needs to play a role in job creation, and I believe one of the best initiatives may be to create some sort of tax incentive for companies to "reboot" their training modules. Maybe if employers provided the training, it would decrease frictional unemployment and increase job security amongst American workers again.

Yes. At a distance it appears that the US is running out of credible dreams to believe in and pursue, honorably.

Wars are becoming 'too public' and hopefully will go out of fashion as the globe shrinks. Inhuman dictators are being strung up, decency may yet prevail over time.

Check out the obesity trend and compare it to the 'rate of change', in particular economic and high impact technology trends. These are indicators of the stresses of
coping with uncertainty at large.

It will pass, as it must, as we sort out what's important to us as a species. There is a lot of good work being done around the world and it will filter out a new ethos over time. Political, environmental and economic turmoil are the sum of us all and it will settle.

At the moment Mother Nature is also having a say in things, too. We all need things to believe in, perhaps we need to be reminded from time to time.

Michael Holland

Tagging on to my earlier post, please see this article which supports my earlier points about technology displacing some of those jobs. This needs to be factored into the new unemployment rhetoric and expectations. Article Title: Are Jobs Obsolete? http://edition.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/09/07/rushkoff.jobs.obsolete/index.html

Sedentary, defiantly. Technology is moving at supersonic speeds and the mid-age to older work just isn't keeping up. That hurts both their careers and productivity at companies.

Sedentary in the way we think our position in business life should be, versus what it is and needs to be. I come across many experienced CFO's who just don't get that a) they are salespeople and b) they need to hone and live that ideal if they wish to get a new job, build a small consulting practice, etc.

Employers also need to open their eyes to the skill sets that are out there already. Too often they focus only on hiring those from the same exact industry or role. While sometimes this is a necessity, it is not always the case. Often there are so many with "transferrable skills" from different industries and cultures, that are quite capable of doing the job, employers are not taking advantage of these opportunities to hire someone with a different perspective on a job. As a human resources professional, I have worked in a variety of industries, including construction, software and technology, printing, manufacturing, health care and insurance. Unfortunately, there are still those hiring HR professionals that do not see these skills as transferrable and request that you have specific industry experience. While each industry/culture has its own way of doing things, looking at it from a different perspective is very beneficial. The for profit and non-profit companies are very different, but both have a lot to learn from each other.

Yes. It's become an entitlement society. Too many people expect things to be handed to them rather than taking responsibilty for themselves.