Culture Change and Career Transition

Abstract

Starting with the recession of the early 1980s, white-collar workers in America began to experience layoffs or displacement at an increasing rate. In a February 2000 survey conducted by the U.S. Employment and Training Administration, they found that “managerial and professional specialty occupations¹ account for 30 percent of all displacements. This proportion has doubled since the early 1980s” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2000a, p. 3). During the period 1979-1995, 18.7 million white-collar jobs were eliminated (“More Than 43 Million Jobs Lost,” p. 27). U.S. firms continue to downsize, having eliminated 179,144 jobs in the first four months of 2000 (Joyner, 2000, p. 1R). Despite the booming U.S. economy of the late 1990s, older workers aged 55 to 64 have a reemployment rate of 56 percent, and persons aged 65 years and older have a reemployment rate of 26 percent (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2000a, p. 2). Two percent of the current U.S. workforce or 4.4 million people are considered “discouraged workers,” those who want to work but have essentially given up (Joyner, 2000, p. 1R).