Researchers have also had difficulty establishing definitively that new technologies actually cause the number of jobs for skilled workers to increase. Some evidence even suggests the reverse: The spread of new technologies responds to the rising skills of the work force, rather than being an independent force affecting the demand for skills.
The implications on organizations with an aging workforce are important. If this argument is true, the innovation and demands of the replacement workers will likely spur complacent organizations forward in unintended ways. As personnel turnover takes place, the entire organization will be affected so organizations should be able to plan for this.
Another implication relates to the economic growth of cities or regions already invested in advanced technology – like Boston or the metropolitan DC area. It suggests that new technologies are nurtured in places that already have a resident skilled workforce – or maybe a vehicle for workforce development.
Take for example, a recent article on Boston.com, Colleges craft studies to fit defense firms, that discusses efforts by Massachusetts state government officials to more closely integrate the engineering curriculum at nine universities with the needs of defense contractors.
Suzanne K. Daniels, business development director for BAE Systems' infrared imaging systems unit in Lexington, said her company's new hires often have general backgrounds in electrical engineering but not the kind of systems engineering skills that enable them to coordinate complicated projects like the company's night-vision systems mounted on Army M16 rifles. ``We were finding we didn't have the depth coming out of the general disciplines," Daniels said.
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