Iceberg Demographic Workforce Barriers and Constraints: A Preliminary Assessment

Abstract

Today’s working age population is beset by a host of invisible workforce and workplace barriers which are analogous to the submerged part of a freshwater iceberg. Defined as iceberg demographics, these “hidden” constraints are often misconstrued in work environments as signs of a poor work ethic rather than as manifestations of challenging real world lived experiences anchored in the nation’s ongoing and seemingly never-ending turbulence and uncertainty. U.S. Census Bureau Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS) data are used to highlight the frequency of both person-level challenges (personal health, cognitive impairments, and transportation) and household-level barriers (economic, housing, and caregiving) that will require major human resource accommodations if organizations are to create workplaces where everybody want to work and nobody wants to leave. Steps necessary to become “employers of choice” and additional policy-focused research needed on workforce iceberg demographics are outlined.