“In 1980, the global workforce consisted of workers in the advanced countries, parts of Africa and most of Latin America. Approximately 960 million persons worked in these economies. Population growth—largely in poorer countries–increased the number employed in these economies to about 1.46 billion workers by 2000. But in the 1980s and 1990s, workers from China, India and the former Soviet bloc entered the global labor pool. Of course, these workers had existed before then. The difference, though, was that their economies suddenly joined the global system of production and consumption. In 2000, those countries contributed 1.47 billion workers to the global labor pool, effectively doubling the size of the world’s now connected workforce.” (Freeman)
“Successful management of today’s increasingly diverse workforce is among the most important global challenges faced by corporate leaders, human resource managers, and management consultants. Workforce diversity is not a transient phenomenon; it is today’s reality and it is here to stay. Homogeneous societies have become heterogeneous, and this trend is irreversible.” (Mor Barak)