Making benefits matter: we've all heard about it. from NCB Nightly News to U.S. news & world report to TIME Magazine and beyond, the message has been consistent and it has been clear.

• Author: Dell, Torry

The "baby boomer" generation, born between the end of World War II and 1964, seventy-eight million strong, is retiring.

Demographics and Workforce Shortage

A pending wave of baby boomer retirements has been on the mind of many employers, and cooperative leadership is no exception. If you consider your own family and acquaintances, you'll probably notice that people are living longer and the population over sixty is growing. The Centers for Disease Control states that life expectancy is now 77.8 years, up from 77 just ten years ago. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that almost eight thousand people a day--or about 330 an hour--turned sixty.

The force of baby boomers has been on the forefront of discussion for some time, so this news may not be surprising. We even watched as the first of a few notable baby boomers like Bill Clinton and George Bush make headlines for turning 60. These baby boomers will be followed by 4 million of their closest friends each year celebrating their 60th birthdays through the year 2025. When we look at the decline in birth rates and the increase in population for ages over 55 we start to see the real impact of increased longevity.

Workforce Dynamics for Electric Cooperatives

For today's electric cooperatives, an aging population brings about a more urgent issue: skilled workers. The rate at which the next generation is filling bucket trucks is looking alarmingly low. About half of the 400,000 current power industry workers are eligible to retire in the next five to ten years. Just as the need for energy is soaring, the outlook for skilled labor required for construction and maintenance is becoming more and more grim. According to Russell Turner, NRECA's principal for human capital issues, "Despite some workers delaying retirements, cooperatives are facing increasing competition from Investor Owned Utilities and Muni's to retain existing workers while attracting a whole new generation of workers to deal with the technological challenges facing cooperatives."

For electric utilities, the year 2012 will mean:

* 52% of generation technicians are expected to reach retirement eligibility

* An estimated 40% of line worker jobs will need to be filled

* 46% of engineering jobs are expected to be vacant

(* source, USA Today, 7/2007)

Even within the NRECA member community, the impact of an aging workforce is present.

Concerns about who will "fill the boots" of a retiring workforce has prompted many cooperatives to increase their focus on recruitment and training programs. As highlighted in RE Magazine in the April 2009 issue, solutions developed by co-ops include extensive partnerships with local vocational schools and colleges to offer training for new linemen. Norris Public Power District and Platte-Clay Electric are just a few with structured programs that work with vocational schools and colleges to offer certificate programs after classroom and field training is complete.

Randy Evans, operations manager for Norris Public Power, estimates the...