Another new report has come out documenting the declining trend in college-level workers. In "New England 2020: A Forecast of Educational Attainment And Its Implications For The Workforce of New England States," finds that most New England states will suffer declines in the percentage of young workers holding Bachelor's degrees by the year 2020 if current educational and demographic trends continue. One of the findings is that there will be an expanded minority presence in the workforce will be especially visible among young workers. By 2020 nearly half the 25-29 year-olds in the three southern New England states (CT, MA, RI) will be minorities.
I have previously blogged regarding the relationship between this trend and the rapid increase in transgender diversity policies in the workplace. In my 2003 dissertation, I analyzed census data to demonstrate the combined effect of several trends: the decline in college-educated workers, the increase in minority college-educated workers, the diminishing minority under-employment, and the increase in corporate diversity programs. These add up to demonstrate the growing importance of racial and ethnic diversity to corporate recruitment and retention. Gay and lesbian issues, and to a lesser extent, transgender issues, are riding the coattails of this development. While there are relatively few openly transgender workers, the inclusion of transgender workers in EEO and Diversity statements lends great credibility to the claim of "diversity leadership."
