Hire Dynamics in the News: Millennials Aren’t Touching Untapped Markets By Hire Dynamics CATEGORY: Blog, News POSTED: May 19, 2014 This article was originally featured on Chief Learning Officer’s Ask A Gen Y blog. I’ve always wanted to be a journalist, but I’m fascinated with the choices of careers available. Earlier today I read that petroleum engineering is the top-paying undergraduate major, with 2013 grads earning an average starting salary of $97,000. I’m not sure I know what petroleum engineering is. There are so many industries out there to explore, but I’ve noticed Gen Y stays far away from manufacturing and other trade careers (I’m not the only one to notice). According to ThomasNet.com’s 2013 Industry Market Barometer report, which gives results from a survey of more than 1,200 American manufacturers, three-quarters of manufacturers said that 25 percent or less of their workforce are in the Generation Y age group, and 49 percent say they expect that percentage to stay the same during the next two years. According to the report, technologies are making manufacturing a “hotbed of innovation,” but Gen Y still isn’t convinced. I interviewed Dan Campbell, CEO of Hire Dynamics, to find out why this is the case and its impact on hiring and retaining Gen Y in general. The issue affects all industries. Let’s talk general millennial career trends first. What jobs are they seeking most? Young professionals today haven’t placed a career in manufacturing at the top of their dream job list. Much of this stems from a stigma that has followed the skilled trades for a couple generations, imposed by their parents and reinforced by society. Attending technical school to learn a skill has instead been waylaid by the promise of status and money after graduating from a four-year college or university. Read the full piece “Millennials Aren’t Touching Untapped Markets“.
