Becoming the employer of choice: anticipating and preparing for a graying workforce in industry

The recent shift in the labor force that has occurred in many developed countries has been greater than any shift prior to 2020. This shift was caused by reduced birthrates coupled with the rising percentage of mature workers in the labor force, compounded by the 2020 global shut-down due to Covid-19. Managers and HR directors need to act now to gather the necessary data on their employees and their company’s projected labor needs to accurately plan for their short- and long-term labor needs. A partial solution for this impending labor shortage is for companies to proactively become the “employer of choice” for their graying workforce by making necessary accommodations to retain and recruit mature workers. The concept of employer of choice relates to creating a work climate that attracts and retains workers to a specific employment opportunity. This article focuses on the steps that can be taken by employers to minimize the impact of this looming labor shortage on their company as well as on the overall economy. The article also provides background on some of the reasons why many mature workers want and need to continue working and the imperatives as to why immediate action on the part of employers is necessary.

US Consumers' Perceptions of Raw and Cooked Broken Rice.

Rice supplies about 20% of the calories to the world's consumers. Milling removes the outer husk and bran, breaking about 20% of the rice kernels during the milling process that equates to almost 100,000,000 tons of rice annually. Broken rice is discounted in price by almost half or relegated to non-human consumption. This study seeks to understand why this large percentage of rice production is discounted for human consumption. Consumers who routinely consume rice evaluated raw and cooked rice with 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% levels of brokens. Sensory analysis indicated the appearance of raw rice with high levels of brokens affected the price consumers were willing to pay. Panelists were not able to discern sensory differences amongst cooked rice samples with different brokens percentages despite an eight-fold difference in brokens (p < 0.01). From this, we concluded that the price discounts imposed on broken rice are not because of perceived differences in the eating quality of cooked rice. Overall impression and overall texture were the two most significant determinants in willingness to purchase rice. The five cooked-rice samples with different levels of broken rice inclusion did not differ in terms of willingness to purchase.