Industry Must Address Workforce Issues

摘要

The birth rate in the U.S. is just above the replacement level, with population growth coming mostly from immigration. This is a world-wide phenomenon, with Western Europe experiencing birth rates so low that its population may decline by as much as one-third in a generation. Demographers note that this means the populations are aging, and that soon there will be only two U.S. workers for each retiree on Social Security. Because of the aging workforce, companies are having trouble maintaining adequate technical expertise as their experienced employees retire. The U.S. nuclear industry has this aging workforce problem, further exacerbated by the stagnant state of the industry over the past 30 years. What will happen if there is a nuclear resurgence requiring additional professionals to staff it?