The example of a
pastor during a visit to Payatas
in the Philippines included how he lost what was probably a decent job. It made
me think about how we have to keep building our skills. I thought about Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and
Mishael and how Nebuchadnezzar considered them ten times better than his own
magicians and conjujrers. The three Jewish youths succeeded in what had to
be a killer job interview through God's grace and a demonstration of skills
developed through study and practice. That small episode is relevant to today's
workers.
A recent article
took on the issue about wage
decline in the face of an improving employment picture and suggested wage
decline may
not be the bad thing some people think it is. The same person wrote the
articles looking at both sides of the argument.
Points from the
articles:
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Employers are holding out on employees
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Younger workers and reentering workers command lower
wages
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"…every time
it looks as if there might be some upward pressure on what people are seeing
in their paychecks, the number ends up dropping again."
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"Boomers are
retiring and younger workers, who necessarily make less at the moment, are
replacing them. Therefore, the overall real average hourly wages being paid
out to workers are declining, even as workers are seeing more in their
paychecks."
|
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"Employers
are basically cutting their employees' ability to consume…a lack of wage
growth will eventually choke the growing economy. "
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"…when you
look at the amount of cash being paid to workers, adjusted for inflation and
per worker, compensation seems to be going up."
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In addition to
younger workers (lower wages) replacing the retiring Boomers, the blogger
mentioned another contributor to wage decline - the long term unemployed
returning the workforce with outdated skills. That is, "…those out of the
labor force for an extended period would see a staling of skills that left them
less likely to find employment. Over the past year, those long-term unemployed
have been returning to the workforce in force — rapidly enough to offset the
demographic drag on participation."
No matter what we
think is the cause of wage decline, one thing holds true: upskilling is your
hedge against falling behind. Employers must invest in their workforce to stay
competitive, and individuals must invest in themselves to move forward.
What is upskilling? It's
a real word, not something I just made up, and is a priority
of the US government. Upskilling is the next step after skill-building. You
learned how to do your job. Now it's time to learn what it takes to get to the
next level.
How can you upskill?
Here is a basic approach that can apply to employers and individuals:
- Take stock. Where are you now, and where do you want to be?
- Find the gaps. Why aren't you there yet?
- Point the way. What will it take to get you there?
- Take action. Don't wait, and do what it takes to move down the path you set before yourself.
What do you need to
upskill? There are three general areas affecting your success. Individuals need
to upskill in these areas to advance, and employers need their workforce to
develop in these areas to build excellence in the workplace:
- Job skills. Like athletes who want to stay on top, you have keep getting better at the job. Don't just show up and go through the motions. Do things like get a higher level degree or go after a professional certification. At a minimum, take advantage of the many training courses available from different providers. Joining professional organizations can put you in touch with people who can give you great advice.
- Soft skills. Develop your ability to communicate with other people. Build your understanding of business etiquette and gain knowledge of other cultures. Another term for behavior, soft skills like emotional intelligence affect how well individuals do in the workplace and well organizations compete in the economy. Here's a quick way to take stock of where you stand: are you making the people around you better or do they think you're a drag on the group? Don't let soft skills trip you up.
- Organizational savvy. If you want to move up, you have to move around. That is, you have to understand what makes organizations tick? At some point, you'll have to integrate the efforts of diverse groups in the organization to accomplish a common goal. Success will come from know how groups with different functions can complement each other so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Where can you find
out more? Your Internet browser and your public library are your best friends.
These resources can open up a world of knowledge.
