By George Anderson
Gloria Johnson Goins, vice president of diversity and inclusiveness for The Home Depot, says one of the biggest challenges businesses will face in the very near future is finding people to fill open jobs in their companies.
According to government statistics, Ms. Johnson Goins told an audience at Boise State University recently, 10 million jobs will go unfilled by 2008. Not only will companies be competing for customers with one another, they will in a very real sense be duking it out for qualified workers, as well.
At the same time as the available workforce is shrinking, said Ms. Johnson Goins, those who make up the pool of qualified workers will increasingly be drawn from Hispanic and other minority groups.
By 2025, 25 percent of the work force will be Hispanic, she said.
With the changes taking place in society and in the workplace, inclusiveness needs to become the mantra of every business.
Ms. Goin Johnson pointed out that at present, African Americans make $533 billion in annual purchases, Hispanics $383 billion, gays and lesbians $350 billion, Asians $229 billion and Native Americans at $49 billion. Disabled Americans make $461 billion a year in purchases, senior citizens $1.6 trillion and women $1.1 trillion.
"This is where companies are going to look for their next growth engines," she said. "It's a business imperative, because they're not only going to be your customers, they're going to be your work force."
Moderator's Comment: How will the growing influence of minority populations and other such as the disabled, elderly, etc. change how retail businesses are run and how they serve their customers? - George Anderson - Moderator