2015 at 35 %.
Born : 1946 to 1964
Age in 2017 : 53 to 71
Born : 1965 to 1980
Age in 2017 : 37 to 52
Born : 1981 to 1997
Age in 2017 : 20 to 36
washington business
America ’ s workforce is in a state of upheaval . Baby boomers , once the largest share , continue heading toward the exits as they repair their recession-scrambled nest eggs and enter retirement .
Generation X briefly replaced boomers in 2012 as the largest share of the workforce , but held the position for just three years before millennials overtook them . Gen Xers continue moving into leadership
Millennials became the largest share of the workforce in positions , but their workforce dominance was short-lived .
Meanwhile , millennials became the largest share of the workforce two years ago at roughly 35 percent , and by 2020 they will make up fully half of the workforce .
The implications of such radical change in such a short time are significant for employers . They are not only forced to recruit and train new people to take the place of retiring boomers , but in many cases , they are finding they also need to adapt their workplace culture and practices to accommodate the newcomers .
AWB is helping employers navigate these changes in a variety of ways , from hosting events like the Workforce Summit in March ( which explored some of the HR-related challenges ) to conducting focus group sessions throughout the state to hear from millennials about their attitudes toward work , career and a successful balance of career and home life .
And in this issue of the magazine , we interviewed three members of each generation to compare their responses to questions about their careers , workplace expectations and how technology is a gamechanger for the way younger generations work . Contributing writer Richard Davis , a member of the baby boom generation , interviewed three boomers . Staff writer Bobbi Cussins , a Gen Xer , interviewed
2015 at 35 %.
By 2020 they will make up half of the workforce .
three Gen Xers . And millennial staff writer Ryan Chambers interviewed three millennials .
Nine people . Three generations . A wide array of views .
how did you get started in your career ? what did you learn from your first job ?
rosemary brester : My first job was ironing . Mother had me iron and my dad wore long-sleeve shirts . And I learned exactly how you ironed a shirt and what needed to be ironed first . So there was a process .
Baby-sitting was my first job for pay . And that encompassed a lot of trust , a lot of awareness , risk . I think being trusted is probably the largest thing that most people would want in someone taking care of their children . And again : you go back to the process and sequence . When you ’ re watching someone ’ s children they had a bedtime , a snack , they could watch a certain television station or have books to be read . You had to understand what the parents ’ requirements were as well . shiloh schauer : My first unpaid job was working on the family orchard . My first paid job was working for Stan ’ s Merry Mart with my grandmother in the hardware department . They took a chance on a 15-year-old girl and I learned retail sales and loved it . I learned a lot about real life skills . I love customer service and I loved the fact that they saw something in me . Stan ’ s is still there . Ethel Wright [ who started working at Stan ’ s in 1958 and now owns it ] is still around town and I tell her , ‘ You gave me my start and I greatly appreciate it .’ She taught me a lot about taking care of the customers because the customers take care of you . austin neilson : I got started in government affairs when I was a sophomore in college . I applied for my university ’ s internship program , which was a job in the state capitol in Michigan , where
Baby Boomers Generation X Millennials
Born : 1946 to 1964
Age in 2017 : 53 to 71
Born : 1965 to 1980
Age in 2017 : 37 to 52
Born : 1981 to 1997
Age in 2017 : 20 to 36
( Source : Pew Research Center )
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