"I Can't Find Any People!"

Before I start, I confess that that what I am about to espouse is more anecdotal then evidential. So, here goes, and I'll start with a question: Where are all the people?

For the last several months, some of our clients have been trying to find trained design and business professionals for some very exciting leadership roles. Truth be told: they can't find people, and it is not for lack of effort. National searches have ended with candidates that are a poor cultural fit (but technically qualified). Several different agencies have been engaged to find a candidate that could easily have been found seven years ago. What happened?

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 of 1978.

For the population as a whole, numerous reasons have been cited for this occurrence--retirement of the baby boomers, fewer students who also work or a lack of "good jobs". According to AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, the AIA doesn't track labor participation rates for architects. The government tracks architecture firms in its payroll survey, but doesn’t track the profession in its household survey. As a result, in design and construction, we can only collect anecdotal evidence.

Retirement, consolidation of practices, unwillingness of younger generations to assume leadership roles, the lack of transparency to achieve promotion, frustrations, high stress, low pay, long hours and not enough flexible time remain among the most common reasons for leaving the profession.

A study conducted by the Royal British Institute of Architects cited some of these reasons in their 2003 study of 174 women who left the profession. While they could equally apply to men and women, one thing is sure: We need to offer compelling reasons to lure people back to the profession, or our ability to deliver creative design into the future will be limited.

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.