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Posted on 03/04/2004 6:49:06 PM PST by qam1
Rotterdam-- Jobs weigh heavily for region's prospects in retaining younger workers
By KENNETH AARON, Business writer First published: Thursday, March 4, 2004
Despite all their differences, the three generations that make up the meat of our society today are really quite connected. While members of Generation X and their younger counterparts in Generation Y say they need job opportunities if they're going to stay in the Capital Region, baby boomers -- the deans of the area's work force -- need to be mindful of ways to make those opportunities emerge if the region is to grow.
While technology holds great promise to lure job-seekers to the area, minority groups are where the real growth possibilities lie, according to participants in the annual "Capitaland Report" television show, broadcast Wednesday on WMHT Ch. 17.
"I think our future depends very much on being attractive to these new groups," said John Logan, a sociology professor at the University at Albany who specializes in demographic issues.
Logan was joined by two other panelists, Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce President Lyn Taylor and Times Union marketing director Bob Provost. A gallery of about two dozen people, representing each of the three generations, also participated in the discussion.
The program will be carried at 11 a.m. Sunday on WNYT Ch. 13, corresponding with the Times Union's publication of the first installment of Capitaland Report , a "yearly physical" of the area's economy, as Lydia Kulbida, co-host of the show, put it.
Rex Smith, editor of the Times Union, was the other co-host of the show, which was produced at WMHT's Rotterdam studio. Capitaland Report , which will be published in three "books" on consecutive Sundays, is the paper's largest special publication of the year.
The topic of this year's report is "Generations." The stories in each of the three editions examine how area businesses cater to the needs of Gen X, Gen Y and baby boomers, and how those needs change as the generations age.
"One of the ways that we can understand the local economy is to look not only at the businesses, but at the consumers," Smith said.
Gen Xers say they want to return to the Capital Region, but need job opportunities to get here. Gen Yers need the same -- but they have shorter-term goals as well.
Like finding something to do this weekend.
"There's absolutely nothing to do," said Lydia Mulero, an Albany High School junior who sat in the audience.
But while many kids can't wait to get out of town, they sometimes find themselves itching to get back.
"You look at things very differently 10 years later than when you're graduating from high school," said Melissa Gold, a 28-year-old Delmar native who recently bought a home in her hometown with her husband, Todd.
On another topic, while 500 business and government leaders responding to a Siena Research Institute survey commissioned by the newspaper indicated they are less concerned about the importance of educational issues today than in recent years, panel members spent much of their time talking about how the region's K-12 school systems can't afford to slip.
Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social aspects that directly effects Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1982) including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers) are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.
Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details.
please let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from the ping list
Meaning you've completely given up on attracting the old groups?
Wow this thread really bombed, Thank you for the "Mercy" post :-)
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