Knowing the size and characteristics of Indianapolis’ population is essential to understanding the workforce. The population is the raw material from which the workforce is created. And the potential of the workforce depends on the sheer number of people in the community, their ages, their skills and abilities and other qualities.

Much is said these days in workforce circles about the impending retirement of the baby boomers. Experts predict that mass retirements will create a shortage of workers for decades to come. The shortage, however, will not affect every community the same. This section delves into the question of whether the shortage of workers will be mild or severe in Indianapolis – information that is imperative for employers and community leaders to have now so they can appropriately address the situation.

The worker/skill shortage is a global problem, and other parts of the world may have it worse than we do. India has nearly a billion people and its economy is growing about 6 percent a year, but its industrial potential remains limited while the traditional caste system keeps the majority of the population in poverty. China, too, has population issues, brought on by the one-child-per-couple rule and the imbalance of males and females. In America, we have too few people getting certain skills, but we have no cultural rules that preclude them from doing so. Meanwhile, many European nations are declining, and demographic experts have forecast that Europe may represent as little as 7 percent of the world’s population by 2050. America may not have enough workers with each particular skill, but we aren’t running out of warm bodies the way Europe is.

Population issues go beyond how many people there are and how many can and will work. They also ask what skills and abilities these people bring to the workplace, and what liabilities they have. The influx of Mexican and other Hispanic and Latino workers to Central Indiana is one theme in this story. That group represents a large infusion of willing hands. But they tend to be unskilled, and many are less than fluent in English.

In addition to “who?” and “how many?” we also ask “where?” Some neighborhoods are growing rapidly and others diminishing. And when we view Indianapolis as a whole, we find considerable differences between the city as a place to work and the city as a place to live.