This begs the question: Just what is the labor participation rate of architects in the United States? CNN Money recently reported that the labor force has shrunk to a level not seen in 35 years. In August, the labor participation rate - the percentage of people over 16 who either have a job or are actively searching for one - fell to 63.2%. That means there are now 90.5 million Americans who don't work and are not counted as part of the labor force. The last time it was that low was in August 1978.
Priscilla Yeh’s story is a sad example of how this is playing out across the country. Unfortunately, there are no statistics available that track the labor participation rate of architects. We can only explore this issue anecdotally. But, here is the real loss: not only did we lose a talented designer to another profession, we lost important intellectual capital. After almost ten years in her career, having worked with "New York City School Construction Authority" and "... on several projects including housing, nursing homes, recreation centers and office spaces,” she walked away from it all.
Where is our lesson? The Great Recession affected us all very deeply and in some permanent, indelible ways. However, we must find ways to retain creative professionals who have invested time and effort in the industry - our intellectual capital. As for Priscilla...she won! She is now the Executive Chef for Travertina. Our loss, but the culinary world's gain!
Karen Compton, CPSM. Karen Compton is principal of A3K Consulting
(Glendale, CA), a business development and strategic planning firm specializing
in the architecture, engineering and construction industries. Ms. Compton is also
the founder of Industry Speaks™, a web-based business-to-business portal that connects AEC firms with experienced consultants, provides peer reviews of consultants, reports on key industry trends, and publishes expert reviews of professional courses and books. Contact her at kcompton@a3kconsulting.com.
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