john carter gresham economic development summit october 2013.JPG

Oregon Business Plan chair John Carter addresses the crowd during the annual Gresham Economic Summit Thursday morning at the Persimmon Country Club.

(Molly Young/The Oregonian)

Influential Oregon business leader John Carter says today's workforce revolution is tied to work ethic and skills -- two things he says are lacking among the newest generation of workers.

The

chair, speaking Thursday morning at the

said educated, younger workers are attracted to the Portland area for the lifestyle, not for career ambitions.

"In Oregon, we really have a growing mismatch," said Carter, who also is board chairman of Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc.

College grads are working as baristas or camping outside City Hall, he said. Carter said many aren't interested in the traditional career paths that would require sticking with companies long-term.

The changing workforce

Carter was the keynote speaker of the Gresham summit, which focused on shifting workforce demographics. Thousands of baby boomers are retiring daily in the United States. Twenty- and 30-somethings will soon make up the largest share of the labor pool.

Carter, who identified himself as a baby boomer "by 37 days," said these younger workers aren't embracing the idea that joining a company long-term is a career path to success.

The Portland area's reputation as a "place to retire" creates an added complication, he said.

"The problem is, they didn't come here for careers, they came here for the lifestyle."

Being able to support a family was once "the classic driver" of the workforce, he said, but fewer and fewer people today are getting married and having children. In fact, that number has dropped by half in recent decades, he said.

"If you look at it, and you see what's changed, half of that classic workforce drive is gone," Carter said.

Higher education and career training also factor in, he said. A lot of institutions, he said, are producing graduates to do things that aren't needed. Companies such as Intel and Boeing must look outside the Portland area to find qualified hires, he said.

Mike Starr, manufacturing director for Boeing, said the company has had to advertise some Portland-area openings nationwide, recruiting workers from the Southeast United States.

Carter said the lack of technical education in schools is an issue that needs to be addressed. "We've raised a generation that believes the only place you break a sweat is L.A. Fitness," he said.

So, readers, what do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Carter's perspective? What are your views on and experiences with the latest generation of workers? Gen Y-ers weigh in, too.



For fodder, here's a recent story I wrote about a training session aimed at helping recruiters and managers understand millennials

.

--Molly Young