On the Job: The workforce needs to adapt as Generation Y comes of age

They are too young to remember, or were not even born, when the Challenger exploded in 1986. ”The Simpsons” is a favorite television show, and they were part of the Tickle Me Elmo and Pokémon crazes. They are smart, technologically savvy, 76 million strong and headed to your workplace.

Known as Generation Y, echo boomers, millennials and The Net Generation, those born from about 1977-2001 are becoming a major force in the job arena, and their impact is expected to be the greatest since the baby boomers hit the work scene. They follow Generation X, or those born from about 1965-1980.

”GenY is going to have an overwhelming impact on the work force because as baby boomers retire, there’s going to be a gap of 10 to 12 years where there’s not going to be as many workers. But then GenY is going to get older and they’re going to push those GenX workers. There’s going to be a lot of competition for jobs in the marketplace,” says Jim Lanzalotto, vice president at Yoh, a staffing agency based in Philadelphia, Pa.

With 10 million GenYers expected to hit the workplace in the next five years, Lanzalotto says both employees and employers should expect a generation that is diverse – and insistent on work-life balance.

Anita Bruzzese
ON THE JOB

Full Story: http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_4276937