Waiting for Green Energy

Laurence Shatkin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:57:41 -0500

Recently I’ve been working on a book about green careers, which will be part of a four-volume set called Progressive Careers, to be published by JIST next fall. As I noted in a previous blog, much of the information about green careers is difficult to obtain or, at best, still in flux.

STEM Picks Up Steam

Laurence Shatkin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:06:17 -0500

Recently, I’ve written several blog entries on fields that are likely to experience growth now that priorities for the U.S. economy are shifting. These are the fields that are covered in my book 200 Best Jobs for Renewing America.

Great Opportunities in a Shrinking Industry Sector

Laurence Shatkin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:03:24 -0400

Yesterday it was announced that Fisker Automotive, a company based in Irvine, California, will buy and retool a former GM assembly plant in Wilmington, Delaware, with the goal of manufacturing plug-in hybrid cars. The purchase of the Delaware site will cost about $18 million, and retooling the facility will cost an additional $175 million.

The Status of the Stimulus Plan (2)

Laurence Shatkin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:24:17 -0400

In mid-June, I posted a blog entry about the status of the stimulus plan, which I have been following closely ever since writing a book about it (Great Jobs in the President’s Stimulus Plan). I rushed out this book before the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 had actually been passed by Congress and signed by the president.

The Infrastructure-Manufacturing Connection

Laurence Shatkin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:59:04 -0400

In my recent book 200 Best Jobs for Renewing America, I describe six large fields whose growth will be essential for the United States to remain competitive in the world economy. These fields are education, infrastructure, health care, information and telecommunication technologies, green technologies, and advanced manufacturing.

What's Wrong with GDP

Laurence Shatkin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:31:34 -0400

One of the most remarkable speeches that Robert F. Kennedy made was about what’s wrong with using traditional economic measures as gauges of our success as a society:

What It Takes for a Career to Emerge

Laurence Shatkin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:47:11 -0400

I have spent most of this month researching and writing about emerging green careers for a book about that subject, and the effort has made me aware of the many factors that must be in place before an emerging career can reach the point where it can be adequately described in a career information resource.

More Than Energy Conservation

Laurence Shatkin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:48:22 -0400

As part of my research for a book about green careers, I have been investigating the occupation Weatherization Installers and Technicians. I came upon an interesting paper by two researchers at the National Consumer Law Center that quantifies the societal benefits of weatherization in low-income housing.

New Data on the Glass Ceiling

Laurence Shatkin — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:00:17 -0400

A researcher at the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management has found evidence that suggests female managers construct their own glass ceiling by underestimating how they are perceived by their associates.

Competing by Collaborating

Laurence Shatkin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:37:53 -0400

Recently in this space I’ve written couple of articles about immigration, making reference to the experiences of my grandparents. But the global labor market is now very different than it was a century ago. Although the United States is still a magnet for immigrants, many immigrants later return to their home countries, and some workforce migration even goes in the opposite direction. This week I came across a couple of articles about these phenomena.