Uncle Sam may draft employees.

• Position: Your Life

Talk of reinstituting a national draft largely has been muted by election year politics, but it is an issue that is likely to be in the forefront for the nation's employers, who could see their current and future ranks decimated by mandatory two-year tours of duty for 18- to 26-year-olds, especially if women are included.

The reinstatement of the draft instantly would make about 35,200,000 Americans 18 to 26 years old eligible for military service. Even if just 1,000,000 of those individuals actually are called to duty, the effects on local economies, colleges, and consumer activity would be felt immediately.

The biggest concern with the potential timing of a renewed draft is that it could occur just as employers are starting to feel the effects of baby boomer retirements, according to John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of the international outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., Chicago. "Forward-thinking companies are already making plans for labor shortages resulting from mass retirements. Now, they may have to add the draft element into their planning," says Challenger.

The impact of the draft on employers particularly could be damaging if it is expanded to include women, as one of two draft-related bills currently in Congress proposes to do. "Employers may be able to squeak by on a men-only draft, since women outnumber men in earning college degrees and are becoming the candidates of choice when it comes to filling managerial positions," notes Challenger. "By opening the draft to women, employers could be hard pressed to find the future leaders of their companies."

There are 19,200,000 18- to...