Human Resource Management in New Jersey State Government

In 2005, the State of New Jersey Department of Personnel commissioned the Heldrich Center to study the critical human resource management issues confronting New Jersey state government. This report highlights the study's findings including: the human resource management function must be elevated to a position of primacy in state government, the state must reengineer the Department of Personnel into an effective human resource management agency with a broader mission than overseeing transactions and compliance with statutes and regulations, and the state must support its human resource function with adequate staff resources

Seeking Strategies: New Directions for New Jersey's Telecommunications Industry

For more than a century, the telecommunications industry has played a critical role in New Jersey's economy and workforce. The state's reputation as a center for innovation and economic growth is due in large measure to the emergence of companies such as American Telephone & Telegraph and New Jersey Bell as leading employers.Yet, in the last decade, the telecommunications sector has undergone important changes that must be recognized in order to help the industry retain its capacity for world-class research and product development. Dramatic advances in technology have resulted in a major restructuring of the telecommunications industry worldwide. New Jersey employers, educators, and government officials must better understand these changes and work together on a new strategy to ensure that the state's telecom sector continues to innovate and grow as part of a broader communications industry.Telecommunications employment has been the focus of a several projects undertaken in recent years by the Heldrich Center. Its 2004 conference on "The Future of the Telecommunications Industry in New Jersey" attracted many of the region's top legislators, regulators, industry representatives, and educators.That session featured a presentation by Dr. Ken Dautrich of the Public Policy Department at the University of Connecticut. His research examined labor market trends and employment opportunities in the industry's wired and non-wired (wireless, cable, satellite) companies. His conclusions:The telecommunications industry is extremely important to New Jersey. Other states do not have comparable levels of telecommunications investment and infrastructure. Despite recent restructuring, two of the top four employers in the state are in the telecommunications industry; Dramatic structural changes within the past 10 years include a significant shift in economic activity from wired companies to wireless companies; andNew Jersey needs a plan to protect the vitality Overview of the telecommunications industry in the state. The state is losing its national market share in this sector. This report updates and expands upon the challenges to New Jersey's telecom sector discussed at the 2004 conference.Part I summarizes nationwide trends affecting the state's telecommunications employers and workforce.Part II highlights current policy options and issues as expressed by industry executives, educators, and New Jersey government officials during in-depth interviews and a May 2006 conference convened by the Heldrich Center.Part III outlines key conclusions that New Jersey stakeholders should consider in shaping an effective action plan for reenergizing the state's telecommunications industry as a vehicle for continued innovation and economic growth in the broader field of communications

Understanding Occupational and Skill Demand in New Jersey's Finance Industry

The finance industry in New Jersey employs over 200,000 people. Many more workers benefit from the state's proximity to the finance industry in New York City. Jobs in the industry are evolving rapidly in response to national and global trends, such as deregulation, increasingly complex laws, and new technologies. As jobs change, skill requirements for both entry-level and incumbent workers increase. This report summarizes the skill, knowledge, and educational requirements of key finance occupations and identifies strategies for meeting the workforce challenges facing the industry

Ready for Tomorrow: Demand-Side Emerging Skills for the 21st Century

As part of the Ready for the Job demand-side skill assessment, the Heldrich Center explored emerging work skills that will affect New Jersey's workforce in the next three to five years. The Heldrich Center identified five specific areas likely to generate new skill demands: biotechnology, security, e-learning, e-commerce, and food/agribusiness. This report explores the study's findings and offers recommendations for improving education and training in New Jersey

Understanding Occupational and Skill Demand in New Jersey's Construction Industry

The construction industry is integral to New Jersey's economy, employing over 160,000 people. Nationally and in New Jersey, the construction industry is thriving, injecting billions of dollars into the state. Jobs in the industry are changing with an influx of new technology and new building materials, requiring that workers have more technical expertise than in the past. This report summarizes the skill, knowledge, and educational requirements of key construction occupations and identifies strategies for meeting the key workforce challenges facing the industry

Understanding Occupational and Skill Demand in New Jersey's Health Care Industry

The health care industry in New Jersey employs almost 350,000 people. However, state, national, and international shortages of nurses is raising widespread concern in the industry. Jobs in the industry are changing in response to pressures to control costs and the demands of an increasingly consolidated industry. This report summarizes the skill, knowledge, and educational requirements of key health care occupations and identifies strategies for meeting the workforce challenges facing the industry

Understanding Occupational and Skill Demand in New Jersey's Utilities Industry

The utilities industry provides essential electricity, gas, water and sewer, and local telephone services to residents and businesses throughout New Jersey. This report summarizes the skill, knowledge, and educational requirements of key occupations in gas, electric, water and sewer, and telephone services. It also identifies strategies for meeting the workforce challenges facing the industry

Building Skills and Alliances to Meet Demand in New Jersey's Labor Market

This summary report examines the Ready for the Job initiatve, which profiled the skill and occupational requirements of 73 occupations in New Jersey. This report highlights four cross-industry demand skills: math and technology skills, problem solving and critical skills, communication and teamwork skills, and entrepreneurship and business skills

Understanding Occupational and Skill Demand in New Jersey's IT Industry

The information technology industry in New Jersey employs workers in an array of occupations and settings. This report summarizes the skill, knowledge, and educational requirements of key information technology occupations and identifies strategies for meeting the workforce challenges facing the industry

Understanding Occupational and Skill Demand in NJ's Manufacturing Industry

The manufacturing industry employs over 460,000 workers in New Jersey. Jobs in the industry have undergone tremendous changes in recent decades. Technology is affecting industry productivity and has changed the way work is done. Workers must have technical expertise to understand the underlying principles of the production process and to interact effectively with the technology used to control these processes. This report summarizes the skill, knowledge, and educational requirements of key manufacturing occupations in the food processing, chemical processing, glass production, and printing/publishing sectors. It also identifies strategies for meeting the workforce challenges facing the industry