The demographic outlook for the BRICs varies greatly. The differences in the projected change in the working-age population are very significant in both absolute and relative terms. This will impact not only economic growth prospects, but also savings and investment behaviour and potentially financial market growth prospects. Brazil and India are demographically in a substantially more favourable position than China and Russia. With the exception of India, demographic developments in the BRICs are becoming, or will soon become, a net negative in terms of per-capita growth.

The state has come up with a new idea to diminish the "brain drain." To keep its best and brightest academics from moving overseas, or to bring them back home, they need jobs, for which purpose the state proposes to establish a new fund. The fund, to be managed by the Council for Higher Education, will invest in "centers of research excellence" that provide positions for repatriated scientists and engineers.

Demographic change is one of the major challenges facing not only many of the world’s developed economies. Its impact on business and society is likely to hinge on our ability to manage the demographic transition in an active and forward-looking manner. Technological innovations are one possible solution. They have been given little consideration so far, but are likely to be of major significance.

In a new report, Mercer highlights five key challenges facing multinational employers in offering benefit plans in 2010 against a background of patchy economic recovery and a rapidly aging workforce. According to David Newman, Mercer principal and international consultant, “Employers are being faced with unprecedented challenges due to the economic environment. We have identified five important challenges as part of our annual Benefit Plans around the World guide for multinational employers.”

(Reuters) - The world's population of older people is growing at the fastest rate ever seen and the old will soon outnumber the young for the first time, U.S. researchers reported. An aging population will push up pension and healthcare costs, forcing major increases in public spending that could slow economic growth in rich and poor countries. The number of people 65 and older hit about 506 million as of midyear 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This will double to 1.3 billion by 2040, accounting for 14 percent of the total global population.

Differences in communication style and attitudes toward rewards are key factors managers should address when juggling the needs of the three main generations in the Canadian workplace, Gen Y (aged 18-29), Gen X (aged 30-47), and baby boomers (aged 48-65), according to the latest findings from an international workplace survey. The survey, by global workforce solutions leader Kelly Services, finds that Gen Y is increasingly using instant messaging, yet all age groups overwhelmingly prefer face-to-face communication. When receiving rewards and bonuses, younger workers prefer cash payments, while many older workers opt for non-cash rewards such as time off work and training opportunities.

By 2030, it will be a major issue in most of today’s emerging economies, and by 2050, few countries will be unaffected. With an ageing population, a declining labour force, and alarming healthcare and pension benefit costs, concerted effort from government, private sectors and civil societies is essential to address these concerns. The World Economic Forum addresses the challenge of financing retirement and healthcare in its latest report. The report entitled Transforming Pensions and Healthcare in a Rapidly Ageing World, prepared in collaboration with Mercer and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), looks at the implications of demographic changes 20 years from now. The ageing of society is a current challenge in developed countries and an imminent challenge in others.

Any workplace with a broad spectrum of generations is likely to face management challenges in juggling the needs of different age groups. A recent international survey finds that issues such as communication style and monetary awards can be the source of marked differences in attitude among the three main workplace generations -- Gen Y (aged 18-29), Gen X (aged 30-47), and baby boomers (aged 48-65).

In a European context where maths, science and technology (MST) graduates are decreasing and there is a clear shortage of scientist and engineers, filling the gender gap affecting the IT sector becomes a crucial challenge for the next years. To address these issues and provide and overview of the current situation, European Schoolnet has issued a key-paper, "Women in IT. The European situation and the role of public-private partnerships in promoting greater participation of young women in technology", in which they urge stakeholders to set up public-private partnerships as the most effective means of tackling the problem.

European companies are currently so focused on cutting costs through lay offs, salary and hiring freezes, that they may be setting themselves up for problems in the medium term, according to recent research by Watson Wyatt.

How far should a company go to improve its workforce? What type of “self-improvement” culture should an organization adopt? In The Conference Board Review’s Summer 2009 cover story, writer Michael Schrage seeks to address these questions—and the many uncomfortable and provocative issues they raise. “You may soon be forced to rethink everything you thought you knew about improving talent and bringing out the best in people,” writes Schrage.

Gender diversity at senior levels will contin ue to be a significant challenge for most leading companies, according to a recent study by Deloitte. The study, Threading the Talent Needle; What Global Executives are Saying About People and Work, found that although most in dustries have attempted to make steps to achieve a more diverse executive team, its re alisation still remained a problem.

Employers faced with reduced communication budgets and resources are turning to social media to keep their workforce engaged, according to a survey released today.

As the downturn is forcing more firms to reduce personnel, global companies need to have plans in place to “manage survivor syndrome” in order to prepare for the eventual upturn, according to a report issued today by The Conference Board, the global business membership and research association. “Survivor syndrome” refers to a marked decrease in motivation, engagement and productivity of employees that remain at the company as a result of downsizing and workforce reductions. It entails a series of complex psychological processes and subsequent behavioral responses. Those who actually carry out the downsizing are also “survivors.” “Survivor syndrome” evolves over three critical phases: strategic decision-making, survivor perception and survivor reaction.

(AMSTERDAM) Only 15 percent of European companies plan their work force more than three years in advance, suggesting that many companies may soon face key shortages in skills as the “double whammy” of falling birth rates and rising numbers of baby boomers entering retirement shrinks the size of the work force, according to a report published today by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the European Association of People Management (EAPM).

HR experts from around the world speak about this future and how HR can best evolve to the next level.

Personal abbauen – vor dieser Herausforderung wird in den kommenden Monaten eine wachsende Zahl von Unternehmen stehen. Darunter werden am meisten die gekündigten Mitarbeiter leiden. Aber auch auf die Personen, die im Unternehmen verbleiben, kommt eine emotionale und reale Mehrbelastung zu – ganz gleich, welche Funktion sie im Unternehmen haben.„Hoffentlich ist die Wirtschaftskrise in einigen Monaten vorüber – zumindest insoweit, dass wieder neue Aufträge hierein kommen und wir unser Personal auslasten können; des Weiteren, dass in absehbarer Zeit wieder Geld in die Firmenkasse fließt.“ Dieses Stoßgebet senden zurzeit viele Unternehmensführer gen Himmel. Denn sie wissen: Wenn nicht bald frisches Geld in die Kasse kommt, können wir unsere Mitarbeiter nur noch für eine begrenzte Zeit halten – auch diejenigen, die aktuell in Kurzarbeit sind. Dann müssen wir wohl oder übel Personal abbauen.

Times are tough and as demands press on employees to balance tighter budgets and battle in more competitive workplaces, pressure also builds for HR departments to help ease their employees' woesThe economic crisis is the cause of many sources of stress. Employees may quite rightly worry about losing their jobs; they may have lost a good deal of their sav ings due to falling stockmarket and housing prices; they may have children who are grad uating but cannot find a job. Most employees will be able to handle these stresses, but some will begin to crack under the pressure. What should HR do?

‘Effective management of change’ is today branded the top ‘HR skill for survival’, following the results of an poll posted on the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) online forum, Communities. Over 400 respondents from the HR community chose three competencies they believed were most important to establish the function’s effectiveness and credibility in the organisation, with almost half (46%) of those taking part highlighting ‘effective management of change’. This was closely followed by ‘strategic thinking’ (44%) and ‘business knowledge’ (36%).

BCG and EAPM reporting on how to address HR challenges during the recession. Short-term pressures could have a serious long-term impact on a company.

The stimulus packages have been wrapped up. The new US president Barack Obama and the German government have at least partly kept their word: over the next two to three years investments in education and training will total some EUR 8.9 bn in Germany and EUR 97.7 bn in the US. But comparing the spending areas of their respective stimulus packages reveals that the US and Germany have differing concepts of education.

While much of the business press is focused on significant reductions in force to improve profitability, there is a hidden cost affecting corporations of all sizes, according to a recent study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp). The study found that 30% of responding companies retain knowledge poorly or not at all when workers leave, while half (49%) think they're doing only "okay" at preserving institutional know-how. Just two in 10 think they are doing well or very well in knowledge retention.

HR leaders should plan job reductions in an orderly fashion -- making sure that talent policies support potential future growth. While communication is also important, employee acceptance of the action will probably depend on the corporate culture.

Three of the most popular cost-cutting measures by employers during the economic downturn thus far have been adding restrictions to travel policies, implementing a hiring freeze, and laying off workers, but most employers are taking several different steps to help them manage costs, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt, a consulting firm.

The recession has added a whole new layer to the usual frustrations and challenges faced by IT managers in finding and keeping good IT staff, and IT pros looking to keep their careers on track. Luckily, there are ways for both employers and employees to make sure they stay mutually satisfied, even in a glum economy.

Demand for HR jobs has slumped to a record low as firms have begun to freeze hiring, new figures have revealed. The Monster Employment Index found that online job demand in the HR sector has been in sharp decline for six months in a row, stooping to the worst in the five years the report has run. Year-on-year, demand plummeted 63%. Many firms are cutting back HR in anticipation of slow hiring this year. Businesses are struggling. A lot of the cuts [in HR] are in recruitment. Within the corporate HR function, employee engagement and talent management are safer.

The New Year has brought with it the lifting of restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanian workers in Greece, Spain and Denmark, but a number of EU states will be keeping barriers to their labour markets for three more years.

Ein Großteil der Unternehmen in Deutschland lässt sich durch die öffentlich skizzierten Risiko-Szenarien für die gesamtwirtschaftliche Entwicklung nicht beirren. Im internationalen Vergleich gehen die hiesigen Unternehmen mit Ausnahme der Banken von moderaten Auswirkungen auf Personalkosten und -bestand aus. Im Mittelpunkt stehen vor allem Einstellungsstopps, weniger der großflächige Personalabbau. Ähnlich werden die Implikationen auf die Vergütungssituation bewertet. So kalkulieren die Unternehmen auch für das kommende Jahr mit Gehaltserhöhungen, wenngleich sich die Budget-Prognosen für Grundgehaltserhöhungen inzwischen auf etwas mehr als zwei Prozent halbiert haben. Aufgrund des für die Mehrheit der Unternehmen noch guten Geschäftsjahres 2008 werden auch die Bonus-Auszahlungen noch nicht drastisch sinken. Aktuell überarbeiten vor allem Banken ihre Vergütungssysteme, Industrieunternehmen verhalten sich dagegen noch abwartend. Die Mehrheit der Unternehmen erklärt, ihr Performance Management restriktiver handhaben zu wollen und so basierend auf strengeren Leistungs- und Erfolgsbeurteilungen zukünftig noch effektiver in der Vergütung zu differenzieren.

According to a study, the global economic crisis will decimate HR departments in 2009

Twenty-six years apparently have not changed much in terms of workers’ attitudes toward the economic climate and the job market.A recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) compared the attitudes of the college class of 2008 to the class of 1982 based on current survey results and those of a similar study conducted by the NACE Foundation in 1982.

Gen Xers grew up in a society that was largely influenced and run by Boomers whose intense lives they often reacted against. Many found their “liberated” parents focused on careers and causes at the expense of families. Their parents had the highest divorce rates in history. Most Gen X kids grew up in single-parent or double-income homes. The child-rearing theory of the day stressed giving kids decision-making power and “not stifling them with rules.” Without a high level of nurturing and emotional bonding, they became skeptical, with an inclination to be independent. Some were forced into adult roles in dysfunctional families.

Barely one-third of companies believe they effectively communicate their reward philosophy and strategy effectively to their employees, according to a new study conducted by Hay Group, WorldatWork and Loyola University Chicago. In contrast, 80% believe that reward communication has an effective or very effective impact on the organization’s performance, employee satisfaction, retention and employee engagement.

As the workforce continues to integrate the newest generation, challenges may present themselves when the youngest generation has different expectations than the older generations. However, experts say managers and coworkers should appreciate Generation Y’s values and listen to what they have to say.

In today's world of everyone believing that they are entitled to special treatment for one reason or another, it's increasingly difficult to be a Human Resource/Human Capital professional or labor lawyer.

Workforce migration and a low birth rate are demographics that will hinder Romania from sustaining long term economic growth, said Romania’s central bank chief economist Valentin Lazea.

With four generations of employees that are as different as LPs are from iPods, companies need to do a better job of identifying and utilizing the varied skills available to them under the same roof. A recent study has found that almost 70% of companies don’t have programs in place to deal with the four different generations currently in the workforce.

Australia's population is set to change substantially over the next 50 years, with around one in four Australians being 65 years or older by 2056, according to the latest population projections released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). These projections are based on a series of assumptions that take into account recent trends in fertility, mortality and migration.

Trans-boundary cooperation is no longer an exception but everyday practise for many local companies today. However, the managers in charge have an additional problem to solve, because the growing internationality demands special characteristics: „intercultural competence“ is in demand, on an the individual as well as the organisational level. In order to make this competence controllable, the consulting companies HILL International and Hauska & Partner International Communications have developed a new evaluation tool: the InterCultureAnalysis.

Most companies do not have a plan to manage and transfer knowledge and even fewer factor cross-generational challenges into business strategy, says a new report from The Conference Board, the global research and business membership organization. “As the Baby Boom generation of corporate leaders and experts approaches retirement, businesses in the U.S., Canada, and many European nations face the loss of experience and knowledge on an unprecedented scale,” says Diane Piktialis, Mature Workforce Program Leader at The Conference Board and co-author of the report with Kent Greenes, Program Director, Learning & Knowledge Management Council, The Conference Board. “Younger workers can’t be counted on to fill the void, as they lack the experience that builds deep expertise. They also tend to change jobs frequently, taking their technological savvy and any knowledge they’ve gained with them.” The result can be a significant drain of business wisdom that decreases innovation, lowers growth capacity, and reduces efficiency in the organization.

As businesses become increasingly global in their nature we have to adapt the talent management and development infrastructures to this new reality. Attracting, identifying and deploying global talent effectively, in a timely fashion, in complex matrix organisations with operations across the globe, are complicated tasks. So is developing the talent pipeline. This article focuses on the opportunities and issues relating specifically to development solutions for global talent. We examine the options at each stage of the process for building global development solutions – from early stakeholder engagement and needs analysis to application of the learning.

Shortages of skilled workers are prompting governments in the EU's newer eastern members to develop strategies to lure back their nationals from western countries. But often the salaries offered back home remain well below workers' expectations. EurActiv's network of eastern media affiliates reports from the region.

EU capital regions in Northern Europe tend to lead the way towards the knowledge-based economy with the highest share of highly qualified workers in science and technology (S&T). At national level, France has the highest proportion of high-tech workers, while Poland's S&T workforce is the Union's youngest, according to the EU statistical office Eurostat.

Employee engagement has been a hot topic in corporate circles overseas for the past few years and it is now gathering steam in New Zealand. It's about unlocking an organisation to release the talent and human potential that is already there. Having a dedicated and energised team of employees who understand and believe in the brand can be the difference between a business being a success or a failure. When staff understand what is at the heart of an organisation, it becomes possible to really mobilise them.

About half of the people who moved to Britain from the countries that joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 have already left the UK, according to a major report published by the ippr.

Recruitment firm Hudson says 19 per cent are actively looking for work through a range of means including calling prospective employers. Nearly four in 10 are passively looking for in scanning newspapers and the Internet. Hudson managing director Gary Lazzarotto says the tight job market means employees are demanding more from their workplaces.

Business leaders are looking for IT to help drive business growth in 2008, resulting in increased pressure for HR to assist CIOs and IT organisations in attracting, developing, and retaining a high-calibre IT workforce. CIOs that want to attract and retain top talent in 2008 and beyond must partner more closely with HR to develop competitive pay practices that address IT-specific needs such as skills shortage, according to Lily Mok, research director for Gartner’s human capital management content development group.

Workplace stress is the most frequently cited reason US employees consider leaving their jobs. While employers acknowledge that stress is affecting business performance, few are taking steps to address it, according to two surveys by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a leading global consulting firm. Nearly half of US employers (48 percent) say stress caused by working long hours is affecting business performance. However, only 5 percent are addressing this concern, according to Watson Wyatt’s 2007/2008 Staying@Work report.

A surprising new poll conducted by the UK’s leading search and selection site for senior execs (TheLadders.co.uk), reveals that even HR Managers struggle to get ahead, whether it be due to time constraints, or being too busy managingx other people’s careers. The poll revealed some interesting results.

2008 will present business with a number of evolving and complex challenges. One of the most obvious issues for business in 2008 will be planned changes of the new Labor Government, to IBISWorld chairman Phil Ruthven. While Labor is traditionally a union stronghold, he notes that only 18 percent at most of the workforce are actually union members, and this figure is unlikely to increase in the years ahead.

Executives are increasingly open to “extreme commuting,” which involves traveling by plane to work and back each week or by car for more than 90 minutes one way each day, as an alternative to relocation, according to 70 percent of international recruiters who completed the 12th edition of the quarterly Executive Recruiter Index, released by Korn/Ferry International, a premier global provider of talent management solutions.