Displaced Workers Growing by the Millions: America's New At-Risk Population

In Staggering Numbers - They come from all walks of life. They are young, old, rich, and poor. They are of different races, cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Some did not make it past high school, yet many have PhD degrees. They comprise a sizable demographic of our society, and as time goes on their numbers rise at staggering rates. Welcome one of the fastest growing at-risk populations... The displaced American worker.

Who Are they?

They are defined by the federal government as an employee 20 years of age or older, who has lost a job due to eliminated job positions, company closure, company relocation, or because the company simply did not have enough business to continue supporting their position. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 4 million of the approximately 15 million unemployed are displaced workers.

In no-nonsense terms, this means nearly one in four workers in the US have permanently lost their jobs.

What Are Many of Them Doing?

With some funding available from the US Federal Government as a part of President Barack Obama's Recovery Act, many displaced workers are faced with having to retool their work skills as a part of an overall life-changing plan.

In previous episodes of economic recession and subsequent layoffs, municipal offices for workforce development have borne the brunt of unemployed displaced workers. However, in the throes of this staggering recession, we see this swelling population going elsewhere for solutions.

In the absence of traditional job search solutions, many have enrolled in educational programs ranging from municipal job-search classes to fully accredited college and university curricula. While a great many have enrolled in higher-level educational institutions such as universities, limited availability of aid and personal spending limitations dictate cheaper educational paths. Thus we see the greatest proportion of enrollment in community colleges, where tuition fees are relatively low.

Education: Tough Going

Despite of the welcome respite from unemployment, displaced workers are having a tough time going back to school.

Virginia's Sinclair Community College's Assistant Director of Strategy Development & Organization, Melissa Tolle, states,

"They have a lot of barriers...Many of them never expected to be in the college environment. Some were not successful in high school. They have financial barriers, families to support."

Add to the mix that many school enrollees are not of the traditional uneducated and low-skill stock. Many of the long-term unemployed include white collar workers with a higher-level education. Being able to provide career development paths for them - let alone their sheer numbers - has strained community college staff and available curricula to their limits.

Other Assistance Programs

Next in line for providing some assistance for displaced workers are the philanthropic efforts of some business enterprises. Among the well-known examples are Walmart's Brighter Futures Project or Microsoft Elevate America programs.

Matching Skills With Jobs

Key to the success of all of these efforts are the correct matching of newly acquired skills in the hands of formerly displaced workers with emerging job opportunities as the recession shakes out.

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Sources:

US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Community College Week, April 19, 2010, Volume 22 Number 18

Walmart's Brighter Futures Project

Microsoft Elevate America