Reference no: EM134008124

Discussion Post

Group Members: Marcia Reyes, Carlo Jean Baptiste, Junia Pierre, Dunka Perez, Stephania Carmoune

Topic: Labor Shortages

Labor shortages have long been a concern for management and leadership, regardless of whether or not an organization is public or private in nature. This is not the first time in U.S. history that arguments surrounding the need to address rising unemployment simultaneous to claims of decreasing skilled labor have echoed throughout chambers at all levels of government across the country, nor is it likely to be the last. In recent decades, however, fears surrounding the seemingly increasing lack of personnel have become steadily more prevalent (Kim, Chang, & Castro-Lacouture, 2020). Much of the conversation stems from the controversy surrounding immigrants, who represent a major demographic of employees in sectors such as construction, agriculture, and tourism and hospitality (Charlton & Kostandini, 2021).

Administrators in the public and private sectors alike have employed a variety of tactics in an attempt to address issues related to shortages of labor. Canada in particular seems to be struggling on the edge of crisis: in an effort to alleviate pressures from lack of personnel in construction efforts, their leadership has determined the optimal approach to increasing retention of labor is through a combination of "labor and managerial level mitigation, organizational level mitigation, and province-level mitigation" (Kumarage, Mian, Perera, Silva, Ruwanpura, Sadiq, & Hewage, 2024). The latter of these, province-level mitigation, in particular is where public administration comes into play, as an understanding of the interdisciplinarity of the field is vital in order to successfully coordinate the education, immigration, resources, and inter-provincial cooperation necessary to encourage and support blue collar and trade workers who otherwise may not be able or qualified. In both the U.S. and Canada, the agricultural sectors rely heavily on immigrants who are the most employees, yet these positions are similarly going unfilled, likely due to a combination of low wages, high cost of living, and increased immigration policy enforcement (Bousmah & Grenier, 2022; Charlton & Kostandini, 2021). The tourism industry is experiencing similar issues, and as such managers at organizations and agencies associated with both agriculture and hospitality are increasingly looking into new technological innovations as possible alternatives to perform necessary functions, such as fully automatized milking units in the dairy industry or RAISA - short for "robots, artificial intelligence and service automation technologies" - as receptionists and waiters in hotels and restaurants (Charlton & Kostandini, 2021; Ivanov, 2024). These in turn reflect the ways in which governments at all levels might themselves adopt different forms of supportive labor and also represent entirely new types of labor that will require their own policies and legislation in relation to their proper implementation and utilization - a responsibility that falls on public administrators.

Task

I. Assuming you are already employed as a public administrator, what are some methods or strategies you would implement to address labor shortage issues and meet needs in both the short run and the long run?

II. Many labor shortages occur in industries with low wages and difficult working conditions. Are these truly "labor shortages" or are they job issue quality? Explain your answer. Get the instant assignment help.

III. If the labor shortage continues, what are some of the long-term effects on the U.S. economy? How can local and state governments advocate for change?