06:00 AM PDT on Tuesday, July 18, 2006

By Terry Corbell

If you can't find a good job, especially if you're an unemployed manager 50 or older, you're probably confused. Everywhere you turn – no matter what industry you research – employers claim they have unfilled jobs.

For bosses, the news gets even worse: There are continuing dire predictions about a looming labor shortage.

Indeed, if you Google "labor shortage" you'll find countless opinions on Web sites and online news articles.

Will there be a looming shortage of workers as baby boomers retire because of age or health problems?

Who knows? The data is confusing and there are apparent ramifications for both employers and workers.

But this much is clear: U.S. workers will have to be flexible and entrepreneurial to survive the disruption and upheaval.

Conversely, the same is true for employers. In fact, most are already complaining about the lack of skilled and educated workers. Some 69,000 Washington employers – about 51 percent – had difficulty meeting their workforce needs last year, as I wrote in a column last February. ( HR study reveals weaknesses in WA workforce.)

In addition, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation released its report on math standards for each state last year. The national results were alarming and the Northwest did poorly, too. Washington received an "F" and both Oregon and Idaho were each given a "D."

And if population projections hold true, the slowing U.S. growth rate indicates the labor situation might get worse. Federal figures project that the labor supply won't keep pace with demand. It's feared that the workforce will be short 3.3 million workers six years from now.

That's true even with the influx of foreign talent. It's been five years since national security concerns heightened after 9/11. Severe visa restrictions were placed on immigrant workers and students. And with globalization and improved economies around the world, published reports show U.S. educators are concerned that increasing numbers of foreign students have been opting to stay home.

If it's true that the education of workers continues to be problematic and that the number of prospective workers won't at least equal the number of available jobs, the pool of desired applicants will get even smaller, exponentially. That means, of course, you'll pay higher salaries and benefits.

So what will you do as a boss to address the workforce issue?

True, the short-term solution is to offshore your needed services and products. You'll temporarily solve your HR needs. It's also an economical approach. And sad to say, employers say work ethics abroad are often stronger than in the U.S.

The long-term solutions are simple yet hard to achieve: In essence, it will be necessary to analyze your company's strengths and weaknesses, anticipate your needs for talent, focus on training of your staff, recruit effectively, and develop and implement a strategic plan.

That calls for nine big-picture solutions:

Strengthen your brand. Differentiate from your competitors by enhancing your company image, innovate your product and service utility, become convenient as possible for your customers, and operate more efficiently. (You will also learn that such steps will also attract the best employees.)

Performance management. Invest in training, mentoring and education – tools and resources to help your employees succeed.

Succession planning. Retain and attract leaders for your firm, and develop a strategy to help your most talented employees ascend to senior levels.

Talent development. Help your managers to evaluate your company's HR strengths and weaknesses. Eliminate any gaps in your workforce and establish a harmonious environment for company growth.

Promote diversity. It's good business to consider and implement policies to recruit workers who are from other cultures. Add disabled applicants, and part-timers – such as stay-at-home parents and retirement-age workers.

Recruitment. Target employees with the three A's of hiring – attitude, appearance, and ability. (Note the priority of attributes. Both you and your customers will be pleased.)

Compensation and benefits. No boss wants to over-pay employees, but if you do your best to provide for employees, they'll deliver stronger performances and take better care of your company's assets. Costco is a great example.

Productivity. Reduce your skills gap by investing in technology.

Adapt. Anticipate and respond to dynamic marketplace changes.

If properly implemented, you'll see strong results. As they say in Hollywood, break a leg!

From the Coach's Corner, if your company is in high tech, here's a tip to increase sales:

A study shows that many business-to-business tech buyers listen to podcasts. Their preferences for content are white-paper research and reports.

A survey by KnowledgeStorm Inc. and Universal McCann reveals 41 percent of respondents will listen to podcasts at least twice. Thirteen percent download podcasts frequently.

This might also surprise you: Almost 60 percent prefer podcasts to reading hard-copies.