Customer Reviews

The 2010 Meltdown: Solving the Impending Jobs Crisis

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Ed Gordon, a business author whose books are filled with examples, illustrations, and explanations that flow from extensive research, has done it again. In this thought-provoking book, Gordon lays out the critical situation employers will face-do face-in finding and holding employees who have the education and training to get the job done.

I'm very familiar with the severe shortage of skilled labor, as lead author of "Impending Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Few People." Ours was the trail-blazing book that exposed the shortage. Gordon has taken our theme to the next level. This book is a tightly-written work that will, hopefully, stimulate productive discussion in board rooms, meeting rooms, bed rooms, and school rooms across the country. It is the kind that should be seriously discussed by corporate executives, educators, community leaders, and parents. Discussion should be followed by decisive action. The time for idle chatter has passed.

The book is organized into three sections. The first part presents our current situation in terms that will grab your attention. Part Two takes you deeper and will build a strong motivation to do something. In Part Three, Structuring Renewal, your mind will move toward the solutions to this vital problem. Extensive notes and a comprehensive index will support your investigation of this issue.

I titled my review, "Open this book." You can open this book to practically any page and be instantly drawn into to story. Before I read the volume cover-to-cover, I flipped through the pages to just take a sneak peek at what was there. Reading just a paragraph or looking at organization wasn't enough. I wanted more. I was pulled in to keep reading. Gordon brings this issue to life.

Recommended for business leaders, educators, human resource professionals, politicians, and enlightened citizens who are dedicated to making a difference for the generations that will follow us.

The global.economy faces a paradox: too many people untrained or trained for the wrong jobs simultaneous with a increasing lack of people to fill the jobs that support the world's leading high-tech economies.The author explains how this crisis has developed but looks beyond it to innovative initiatives being taken in the U.S. and other nations in education, training, and community development to meet the challenge. This is a big-picture book that connects many economic, demographic, and technological dots. The book is loaded with facts and insights, and provides a balanced and optimistic picture of economic realities.

Ed Gordon has accurately predicted a catastrophe that will soon strike America, as well as the rest of the world. The huge influx of baby boomers into the workforce helped many countries shoot their economies forward, but now the following generations are millions less than the boomers.

The real scary crux of the problem however, is that even while the next generation of American workers are 10 milllioni LESS than the baby boomers, they also aren't trained for the right jobs. There will be shortages of millions of doctors, dentists, nurses, air traffic controllers, technicians, plumbers, you name it.

What does that mean?

Gordon shows, with rock-hard facts and examples, that the skills needed for job's in the very near future simply aren't there.

Imagine not being able to find a doctor in your state. Your flight has been canceled indefinitely, not only because there aren't enough mechanics to fix the plane, but also because there aren't enough FAA traffic controllers to make sure it flies and lands safely. But, you'll be able to find a lawyer no problem.

When the baby boomer generation has more than 10 million workers in it than the ones that follow it, there will be a demographic problem. But when people aren't being trained for the right jobs, the effect will be ten times worse. Gordon offers solutions, and wants to get the message out NOW: Wake up and smell the aging baby boomers, or by 2010, it'll be too late.

the book itself is good. His timing may be off (2010). He's too late.
The problem that academics have is that for the most part, they keep their info among other academics. The content of his book needs to be on talk shows and reviewed by people like Oprah, so that its import can be known by the common man (the ones this is about), not just those who go to lectures at universities.
In person, Doctor Gordon ("Don't call me Ed") yells at his audience to gain attention (poorly done) and "holds court" with an ego that can't be cut by a good knife. The point here is that with his huge ego and poor personal presentation (he wouldn't sign my book prior to the lecture due to not having it purchased at the seminar, i bought it on Amazon)he causes the book's content to get lost in his hubris.
This is an important book (the content is critical) that will probably never reach beyond academia due to the character of the author.
All that said. Read it. His researchers did a great job and the content will have you shaking your head.

The message of this book is that without life long learning all of us are at risk of being skills deficient for the coming work of the next 5 -10 years. If you're in your mid 40's and above you may not feel this is speaking to you - wrong! It is about learning new technology, skills, and ways of conducting your work no matter how comfortable you may feel in your current job situation.

the gap of the have's and have not's is growing now in the area of skills attainment. It's not just whether you are literate - it's whether you are techno literate. I thoroughly enjoyed this look at our workforce crisis.

I would say that I believe we are alrady well into this crisis and most people have no clue about it. We do need it to become something that is talked about around the kitchen table. It has to be about how jobs are going to India and China, jobs that are higher skilled and required higher education. So, as it's been said - go to school, learn, because someone in India or China is ready to take your job.

The 2010 Countdown grabbed my attention from the moment I opened it. It is well researched, data based, and yet exciting to read. Ed Gordon masterfully weaves facts, quotes, and anecdotes that engage readers of all learning styles through a history of the past, the reality of the present, and the hope of the future in dealing with the impending job crisis.

While the book brings forth the start reality of labor shortages now and in the future, Gordon leaves the reader with a variety of solutions to consider. He draws conclusions from data that are not self evident but powerfully enrich his message.

This is a book that when you finally put it down and reflect, there is a sense of clarity that urges you to take action in your own way to be part of a hopeful future.

My coworker Herb Schumann righfully implored me to purchase this book. It is compelling, stark and a call to action. Even in the realm of Human Resources, America has a shortage of professionally trained and experienced people to handle human relations. Our educational system still continues to be incorrecly rooted for an outmoded agrarian society. This is a counterproductive disaster and by the year 2010 it will be catostrophic. Dr. Edward Gordon is renowned in educational and training environments. He is reputed to be an oustanding lecturer on these subjects. This book was magnificent and in light of the monumental subject matter, it is imperative for Dr. Gordon to continue writing, updating and illuminating us in reference to the all-important educational/employment crises.

This book provides the data that proves we are experiencing a skills crisis in America. Our culture promotes the "need" for a college education, yet only 15% of those who finish high school will ever attain a 2 0r 4 year degree. What about the other 85% of our kids? We need to quit drinking the kool aid being distributed by the colleges and pay attention to the Technical schools. Our young people can earn a great living and have skills that are in high demand by getting technical training. This book tells about that need -- and suggests ways to fix it.

There's no shortage of talent as the book predicts, rather a severe shortage of jobs - caused by globalization, illegal immigration, the 2008 financial crisis, and automation. Further, training and more education are not likely to help - companies are now outsourcing more of their service-jobs, including eg. pharmaceutical etc. research. There just isn't much that can't be done cheaper in China and India - safe jobs are not those with more education and training, but those that need to be performed on the spot. Examples include hair cuts, cooking, machinery operations - however, these are also vulnerable to appropriation by the 12 million-some illegals within the U.S. Even brain surgery can be offshored - if it is non-emergency. We don't need more traditional education and training, as the author suggests, but much lower-cost education and training would help. The biggest job-helping effort needs to be directed at ensuring that illegals and H1-B etc. do not take jobs in America, and reducing offshoring. The latter could be accomplished through a 30% tariff on all products made in China - the 30% is derived from what most experts say is the amount that the Chinese currency is undervalued.

Although the 2010 Meltdown warns of impending problems caused by baby boomer retirement and a lack of people to fill technology-related jobs, it also provides helpful solutions. The bad news is that our leaders are incapable or unwilling to help us on a national level. The good news is that powerful solutions can be found at the local level, where they will be most effective. The 2010 Meltdown demonstrates how training and education at the community level is the answer to problems we face and it outlines a plan communities can follow to effect this change. The book is a must-read for community and business leaders alike.