OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2014 - (Page 26)

ENGINEERING INTELLIGENCE SURVEY SAYS PREPARE FOR GENERATIONAL SHIFTS IN ENGINEERING WORKFORCE By Chrisy Wilson, Mercer (Canada) Limited Over the next five to ten years, approximately 17 per cent of Ontario's engineers will have reached the age of retirement. These employees are primarily part of the Baby Boomer generation, with an average of 18 years of service with their current employer. These observations stem from the most recent Employer Compensation Survey, conducted by Mercer (Canada) Limited for the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE). Compensation and workforce metrics data for more than 15,000 engineers across six engineering responsibility levels and 14 job types were collected from 212 organizations in both the private and public sector. The 2013 survey reflects data for engineers working in organizations of all sizes, across a broad array of industries, located in 17 metropolitan areas across Ontario. THE NEED FOR A WORKFORCE PLAN Canada's population is aging, and a significant number of Baby Boomers are expected to retire in the coming years. As a result, many organizations will experience a loss of intellectual capital, causing critical skills gaps. Already, many companies are experiencing a shortage of highly skilled workers. While many employers are looking to hire, they are facing difficulty finding the "right" skills to meet their needs. Employers are also experiencing challenges finding employees with enough experience to fill their roles, with many looking for engineers with five or more years of experience. This is a "catch-22" situation as, on the flip side, new graduates often struggle to find work in their chosen profession and are not able to obtain the valuable experience that employers are looking for. With Baby Boomers exiting the workforce and Generation X employees beginning to fill their shoes, it will be increasingly important that Generation Y employees (also referred to as Millennials) are provided with opportunities to gain the right experience to help fill resulting gaps in the workforce. Of all incumbents reported in the 2013 OSPE Employer Compensation Survey database, Generation X represents the largest proportion (37%), followed closely by Baby Boomers and Generation Y (at 31% each). Traditionalists represent only 1% of survey incumbents, as shown in Figure 1. 1% FIGURE 1: DISTRIBUTION OF THE OSPE EMPLOYER COMPENSATION SURVEY DATABASE BY GENERATION Legend n Traditionalists n Baby Boomers n Generation X n Generation Y 31% 31% 37% Born 1928-1945 Born 1946-1964 Born 1965-1979 Born 1980-2000 Consulting Services 41% 35% 22% 1% Durable Manufacturing 36% 24% 39% 0.5% Hi-tech/Electrical Products/Telecom 19% 44% 37% 0.5% Non-durable Manufacturing 33% 41% 26% 0% Public Sector and Not-for-Profit 13% 39% 3% 46% Transportation/Utilities 30% 2 6 TheVoice Spring 2014 34% 35% 1%

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2014

OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2014
Contents
Viewpoint
OSPE is Listening
Newsbytes
Profile: Robert A. Goodings, P.Eng.
National Engineering Month
Engineers Connect at OSPE Events
Advocacy for Our Profession
Issues that Matter
Decades of Advocacy
From Classroom to Career
Talking Transit
PAN Profile
Strength in Numbers
Learning from Elliot Lake
Energy Planning
Across the Pond and Back
Intellectual Property
OSPE Employer Compensation Survey
Deadlier than Drunk Drivers?
Resources within Reach
Professional Development
OSPE Launches Corporate Program

OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2014