The Changing Workforce: Demographic Issues Facing Employers

GAO discussed demographic estimates of and employers' responses to changes in the federal and nonfederal sector labor force. GAO noted that: (1) the number of women participating in the labor force has increased to 57 million, and employers are offering child and elder care assistance, flexible work schedules, flexible benefits, and parental leave benefits; (2) minority involvement in the work force totals about 21 percent, and employers have initiated training programs in an attempt to accommodate the increasing cultural diversity of the work force; (3) phased retirement plans and utilization of retirees' skills result from employers' expectation of a older work force; and (4) federal work-force demographics resemble the nonfederal sector, with the federal work force employing a greater percentage of women, minorities, and older workers than the nonfederal sector.