Research on Future Skill Demands A Workshop Summary (2008) / Chapter Skim
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4 Skill Demands of Service Work
4 Skill Demands of Service Work
Pages 29-43
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From page 29... ...
. A total of 11 of the 20 occupations that BLS projects will grow most quickly to the year 2014 are in the service occupations job cluster, and all 11 have See Appendix B for a list of the groups of jobs included in the service-occupations cluster.
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From page 30... ...
. Third, Gatta described studies indicating that service workers perform "articulation work," deploying a blend of emotional, cognitive, technical, and time management skills to quickly solve customer problems (Hampson and Junor, 2005)
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From page 31... ...
that computers complement workers in nonroutine cognitive tasks, Gatta suggested that the theory does not apply well to service workers because their nonroutine social skills and caring skills are poorly defined and are not seen as a complement to computer technology. In fact, she said, one study found that in jobs requiring high cognitive skills, social and interactive tasks were considered special skills and rewarded with higher pay, but in jobs demanding lower levels of cognitive skills, social and emotional tasks were seen as making the job more interesting and attractive to employees without the need for additional pay (Glomb, Kammeyer-Mueller, and Rotundo, 2004)
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From page 32... ...
Annual Earningsa Trainingb 41-2031 Retail salespersons 4,256 4,992 VL Short-term on-the-job training 29-1111 Registered nurses 2,394 3,096 VH Associate degree 25-1000 Postsecondary teachers 1,628 2,153 VH Doctoral degree 43-4051 Customer service 2,063 2,534 L Moderate-term on-the-job training representatives 37-2011 Janitors and cleaners, 2,374 2,813 VL Short-term on-the-job training except maids and housekeeping cleaners 35-3031 Waiters and waitresses 2,252 2,627 VL Short-term on-the-job training 35-3021 Combined food 2,150 2,516 VL Short-term on-the-job training preparation and serving workers, including fast food 31-1011 Home health aides 624 974 VL Short-term on-the-job training 31-1012 Nursing aides, orderlies, 1,455 1,781 L Postsecondary vocational award and attendants 11-1021 General and operations 1,807 2,115 VH Bachelor's degree or higher, plus managers work experience 39-9021 Personal and home care 701 988 VL Short-term on-the-job training aides 25-2021 Elementary school 1,457 1,722 H Bachelor's degree teachers, except special education 13-2011 Accountants and 1,176 1,440 VH Bachelor's degree auditors 43-9061 Office clerks, general 3,138 3,401 L Short-term on-the-job training
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From page 33... ...
53-7062 Laborers and freight, 2,430 2,678 VL Short-term on-the-job training stock, and material movers, hand 43-4171 Receptionists and 1,133 1,379 L Short-term on-the-job training information clerks 37-3011 Landscaping and 1,177 1,407 L Short-term on-the-job training groundskeeping workers 53-3032 Truck drivers, heavy and 1,738 1,962 H Moderate-term on-the-job training tractor-trailer 15-1031 Computer software 460 682 VH Bachelor's degree engineers, applications 49-9042 Maintenance and repair 1,332 1,533 H Moderate-term on-the-job training workers, general 31-9092 Medical assistants 387 589 L Moderate-term on-the-job training 43-6011 Executive secretaries and 1,547 1,739 H Moderate-term on-the-job training administrative assistants 41-4012 Sales representatives, 1,454 1,641 VH Moderate-term on-the-job training wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products 47-2031 Carpenters 1,349 1,535 H Long-term on-the-job training 25-9041 Teacher assistants 1,296 1,478 VL Short-term on-the-job training 39-9011 Child care workers 1,280 1,456 VL Short-term on-the-job training 35-2021 Food preparation 889 1,064 VL Short-term on-the-job training workers 37-2012 Maids and 1,422 1,587 VL Short-term on-the-job training housekeeping cleaners 53-3033 Truck drivers, light or 1,042 1,206 L Short-term on-the-job training delivery service 33
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From page 34... ...
Annual Earningsa Trainingb 15-1051 Computer systems 487 640 VH Bachelor's degree analysts NOTE: Service occupations are highlighted in bold italics. aThe quartile rankings of annual earnings are categorized as follows: VH = very high ($43,600 and over)
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From page 35... ...
However, Autor emphasized that, in comparison to other occupational clusters, the service occupations cluster employs more high school dropouts and more minorities. While stating that he agreed with the paper authors that it is important to think about what can be done to improve the quality of service jobs, Autor also noted that policy options related to improve these jobs all have "downsides." One option is to simply accept a world "of many McJobs," with low wages and few benefits, he said.
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From page 36... ...
. In 2004, nearly 3 million low-wage care workers were employed in the United States, including 1.45 million nursing aides, orderlies and attendants; 701,000 personal and home care aides; and 624,000 home health aides (Hecker, 2005)
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From page 37... ...
Training of Low-Wage Care Workers Wellin explained that current training of low-wage care workers stresses instrumental tasks, basic medical knowledge, resident safety and rules, with little attention to "psychosocial care skills." Training and certification
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From page 38... ...
Portable certification would be valuable for care workers moving from one job to another. In closing, Wellin argued that the fates of the higher wage knowledge workers discussed in the earlier session and the predominantly female care workers he described are "intertwined." The quality of life of the professional or knowledge worker who is working "intense hours and long hours" may be defined by the continuity and quality of the child care and elder care provided to family members (Wellin, 2007b)
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From page 39... ...
Kemper said that many people view care work as a dead-end career, because many direct care workers are not interested in moving up to nursing jobs. However, there are specialized positions, such as those of medication aides and dementia aides, and government policies can support certification of these specialties.
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From page 40... ...
DISCUSSION In response to Cappelli's question about whether skill demands of service jobs are rising, Wellin reiterated that care workers have moved out of hospitals -- where they were part of a large team including nurses, doctors, and perhaps a social worker or member of the clergy -- and into nursing homes, assisted living or home health care, where they are the primary caregivers. This shift greatly expanded their skill demands, he said.
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From page 41... ...
One department introduced technology in a way that created very routine, fast-paced jobs, and the other department integrated tasks, creating jobs that required higher levels of abstract reasoning and were more productive, and raised the salaries accordingly. Osterman said the study revealed that employer choices about how to organize work are influenced not only by constraints (or "imperfections")
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From page 42... ...
She said that, in Virginia, an individual can hire his or her own caregiver, with only a minimal background check, and that the caregiver's work is not supervised or monitored. Ripley expressed concern that the panelists had not mentioned the problem that direct care workers' lack benefits, describing this as "an overwhelming difficulty in recruiting or retaining staff," especially because so many women with children work in these jobs.
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From page 43... ...
SKILL DEMANDS OF SERVICE WORK 43 and such jobs "don't pay well." She asked how to direct public policy and public attention to the need to provide benefits and a living wage to direct care workers. Cappelli concluded the session by noting that its value "to help us understand the various choices that are made that shape skill requirements and skill demands." He specifically noted the importance of choices about the level of service that is provided and employer choices about how to organize and reward work.
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