L02 Societal Changes Affecting Employment in the US – Generational Gaps

Another important demographic change that impacted the employment relationship (the relationship between employers and employees) in the second half of the 20th century is the entry and development of fairly recognizable worker cohorts, or generations. These cohorts include:

• Baby Boomers (those born after 1945, once World War II ended)
• Generation X (those born after 1965, around the times that Civil Rights legislation was enacted)
• Generation Y (those born in the mid-1980s, when many corporations became unable to sustain the expectation of lifetime employment and downsized their workforces in large numbers)
   

A few in the “millennial generation” were born at the end of the 1990s, but they would not enter the workforce until the 2010s and later.

Studies on these cohorts often highlight differences on a variety of attitudes and preferences. For example, many Baby Boomers had an expectation to work for a single employer who would provide a pension upon retirement. On the other hand, Generation Xers, who saw many corporate mergers and acquisitions that included layoffs in the last two decades of the 20th Century, tend to be more likely to switch employers many times in their careers.

Studies also show that, compared to age, life events (e.g., graduating from college, getting married, having children of certain ages, etc.) are stronger determinants of such attitudes and preferences. The Pew Research Center has carried out research for many years on this and other interesting topics

As mentioned earlier, employment legislation has profound effects on employment practices, including hiring, performance management, compensation, and all other work-related processes. Next, we will look at how this legislation is enforced.