The World of Work

1. The World of Work 7.2

2. The World of Work • The Labor Force • Important aspect of adult life • Work from 18-65 years old, worked for 47 years • Labor force- consists of all individuals age 16 and older who are employed in paid positions or who are seeking paid employment

3. The World of Work • Composition: • Labor force is changing: more women and minorities in the workforce; higher education • More women in the professional jobs- a high status occupation that requires skills obtained from formal education • Engineer, lawyer, teacher, dentist, and writer • Rise of minority workers • Hispanics are now the fastest growing population in the American workforce • American workers have a higher degree of education; 1940s: no more than 8th grade; today: more than 90% have at least a high school diploma

4. The World of Work • Unemployment: • Person does not have job but is actively seeking employment • Unemployment rate- percentage of civilian labor force that is unemployed but actively seeking employment • varies with age, gender, race, and cultural background • Nearly impossible to employ every person with a job • 5% is acceptable unemployment rate in the U.S.

5. The World of Work • Occupation: • Executive- business execs, sales managers, public relations, store managers, etc.. • Professional specialty: doctors, lawyers, dentists, pharmacists, Liberians, nurses… • Tech occupations- lab techs, dental hygienists, medical assistants, licensed practical nurses, and x-ray techs • Sales: insurance, real-estate, retail sales, insurance sales, and real-estate • Admin. support- office clerks, secretaries, business machine operators, bookkeepers, postal workers • Service occupations- maids, cooks, butlers; protective service- police and fireman

6. The World of Work • Precision production- mechanics, shoemakers, dressmakers… • Operators, laborers- welders, heavy equipment, freight handlers…. • Farming, forestry, and fishing- lumberjacks, hunters, fishers…. • Transportation- truck and bus drivers…

7. Changing Nature of Work • The Changing Nature of Work • American Labor Force: • 1900- 35% of labor force worked in farming; 45% in manufacturing and other jobs that required physical labor, such as construction • Midcentury- manufacturing dominates the labor force • Today: farming and manufacturing only account for 27& of jobs in United States; considerable growth in professional jobs, office work, sales, and service jobs--- 73% of labor force • Growth of bureaucracies and professional occupations; managerial, professional, and administrative support positions account for 44% of labor force

8. Job Satisifaction • Job Satisfaction • Most opinion polls show that no matter what type of work Americans do, they are satisfied with their job • Workers with higher incomes reported greater satisfaction than those with lower incomes • Factors of job satisfaction: lot of control over their work, those who got to use their skills and talents and receive a lot of recognition and appreciation • Conclude- workplace safety conditions, relations with co-workers, flexibility of hours, the opportunity to do what they do best, and job security • Dissatisfaction- on the job stress, their income, and their chance of promotion