By Richard Brown, Director of CPN Human Resources
Change is inevitable. We all know that. When I started working with the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in 2005, our employee population was a staff of gifted veterans. Since COVID-19, I have watched the work demographics of the Nation change right before my very eyes. We’ve seen major technological advances and heard words like “globalization.” While these categories make a difference in the way the work world looks, they are not the only major changes CPN has seen in its workplace.
One of the biggest changes at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation over the last few years has been the change in our age demographic. In 2019, the Nation’s staff was made up of more than 50 percent Baby Boomers. That’s people born between the years 1945 and 1964. Those numbers have changed, as you can see in the graph above. Today, our fastest-growing class of workers is from the Generation Z population. This group has become the largest group that the Nation now employs with a measure of 29.1 percent of the staff, followed very closely by Millennials at 28.5 percent.
The Nation has a very rich and diverse demographic when it comes to age as we still employ individuals from five generations. Those generations are Traditionalist or Pre-Baby Boomers (1900-1944), Baby Boomers (1945-1964), Generation X (1965-1980), Millennials (1981-1994) and Generation Z (1995-2010). As you can see, the Nation does not have a problem with employing workers from all age groups.
Across America, the dynamics of the labor force has undergone great change. America is seeing shrinkage in the younger labor force and a rise in the mid-career and older worker generations. CPN has trended opposite of America as a whole. We continue to open our doors to all generations of workers. CPN wants the best-qualified workers, no matter the generation.
As our workforce dynamics change with age demographics, remember CPN embraces workforce diversity, always looks for ways to address age-related biases and hires the best qualified people to always meet the needs of this great Nation.
Find current job openings and apply at potawatomi.org/jobs.