DJ Products, Inc.

If you have a teenager looking for a summer job, you know how grim their prospects are this year. Some employment experts are predicting that this will be the worst summer job market since the 1950s. Jobs usually held by teen-aged workers have been snapped up by laid off, furloughed, out-of-work adults looking for any way to make ends meet until the economy turns around. Tomorrow morning when you pick up your cup of coffee, take a look at the person manning the drive-through. You’re more apt to see a mature face than some fresh-faced high school kid — and the money-hungry collegiate workforce has yet to hit the summer job market. With traditional summer employers cutting back, teens and collegiates will have to think outside the box to earn money for tuition, car parts, clothes and dates this summer.

This is definitely a summer where teens and college students will have to look beyond the mall and local fast food franchises to find employment. It’s time to think outside the box! In years past, employment experts might have suggested that teens look for jobs in manufacturing. Unfortunately, the economic crisis has slowed U.S. manufacturing production, sending home thousands of U.S. workers and glutting the manufacturing workforce. There’s little opportunity in manufacturing this year for unskilled, part-time, summer laborers. But there is potential opportunity in fulfillment, distribution and warehousing, job experts say.

Not only do businesses benefit from cheaper labor when they employ teens and collegiates, but there can be advantages to building early working relationships with tomorrow’s prime workers. Summer jobs provide an opportunity for college students to try out potential careers while giving employers a chance to size up future workers. Many teens and collegiates return to a company summer after summer and eventually seek full-time employment. Savvy employers use these opportunities to pre-train future staff and benefit by gaining educated, top-notch employees ready to hit the ground running as soon as they earn their degree.

Distribution, fulfillment and logistics companies that utilize DJ Products’ highly-adaptable, ergonomically-designed material handling equipment won’t have any trouble giving this summer’s hungry teen workforce an opportunity to grow their work skills. Ergonomically-designed to adjust to the physical size and abilities of any worker, DJ Products equipment can be successfully used by male or female teens and college students without risk of injury. Intuitive controls, superior safety features, adaptable design, and premium construction make DJ Products’ motorized carts and electric tugs easy to use, minimizing training time and maximizing production — the perfect combination for summer workers!Â

Considering the state of the economy, it’s not unexpected that the logistics industry is suffering along with everyone else. According to the recently released Global Contract Logistics 2009 report published by Transport Intelligence, the global contract logistics market grew at a rate of 5% in 2008, half the 10% growth experienced in each of the past few years. Of greatest concern was the noticeable drop in volume during the fourth quarter, generally considered the industry’s peak season.

“This downturn has been felt well into 2009, although there are signs that the fall in volumes may well have bottomed out by the end of the first quarter, the report suggests,” logistics industry analyst Ken Hurst noted in today’s posting on Works Management online.

Increasing, global reach provides the greatest opportunity for future success in the logistics industry, particularly when U.S. markets go stale. Developing markets in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and the Asian Pacific region offer the most opportunity for future growth, according to the Ti report. While the China market has cooled recently, Hurst expects it to rebound, saying, “… with GDP growth still in the high single digits, and a $585 billion stimulus package taking effect, underlying economic activity will continue to drive its [China’s] logistics sector.”

The report predicts five more years of volatile swings in the logistics industry worldwide with significant recovery not predicted until 2011. Rebuilding is expected to be agonizingly slow. According to Hurst’s post, “Ti believes that the market will grow at a compound annual rate of 2.4% between 2009 and 2012.” Stabilization of the industry will depend on the speed with which global sales increase. Until consumer confidence returns and drives up demand for goods, manufacturers and retailers will continue to keep supply costs lean. Because of its position at the tail end of the supply chain, the logistics industry may be one of the final economic sectors to achieve recovery. While contractual relationships will protect some logistics companies from the worst market volatility, “logistics providers will have to work hard at increasing their value proposition to clients if they are to avoid the worst excesses of the recession,” John Manners-Bell, Ti CEO told Hurst.

Even before the economy took a dive, material handling industry experts were warning of coming changes to America’s workforce that could have far-reaching implications for U.S. businesses. America’s population is aging. By 2015, the over 65 population will increase by more than 20%. At the same time, the number of people getting started in the workplace, those 25 to 39, will grow by only 6%. And even more alarming, the population group that has traditionally formed the core of America’s workforce, those aged 40 to 54, will shrink by 5%. Businesses need to prepare now to deal with a younger, smaller U.S. workforce.

But that’s only part of the problem, said Gary Forger, Senior VP of Professional Development for the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA), in his keynote address at ProMat 2009 earlier this month. The fast pace of technological change and the need for constant learning and retraining may present the biggest challenge. Where it used to take 12 to 15 years for skill sets to before becoming obsolete, it now takes less than 3 years. “It is estimated that 39% of the current workforce and 26% of new hires will have basic skill deficiencies,” Forger said. Unfortunately, America’s future workforce may not have the “live to work” ethic of their predecessors. Tomorrow’s worker will be seeking a better work-life balance, placing higher value on “work to live.”

While coming changes in workforce demographics will present significant challenges for U.S. businesses, Forger said it will also present unique opportunities to improve productivity and performance for companies able to exercise flexibility. Forger suggested that those opportunities are likely to be found in unexpected places. Companies may find it productive to pair old and new workers, he said. New workers would bring advanced technological skills to the table; older workers, knowledge and experience. Automation is expected to increase to allow smaller workforces to maintain production. The need to accommodate aging workers will place increased emphasis on ergonomic equipment.

As the number of U.S. workers dwindles, the material handling industry should prepare for an increasingly multi-cultural and multi-lingual workforce. Forger said recruiters may need to target new work groups, such as “Hispanic women reentering the workforce.” Retention efforts may need to become more flexible and more creative, offering different incentives to differently-motivated groups. In the future, advancement, employee satisfaction and responsibilities may provide better retention results than basic pay. How companies address work-life balance issues is also expected to play a key role in employee retention.