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National Centenarian's Day

Work has come a long, long way since 1917

Work has come a long way since 1917.
In honor of National Centenarian's Day, WorkingNation takes a look at what work looked like 100 years ago. Back in 1917, only 3.5% of 18-24 year olds were enrolled in college, women made up less than a fifth of the workforce, and child labor was still legal. Beyond demographic shifts, labor also moved off of farms and into the service industries.

In honor of National Centenarian’s Day on Friday, we are taking a look at how much the workforce has changed over the past 100 years.

In 2017, we can see first-hand how workers in the 20th century laid the foundation for the benefits – and problems – we face in our modern work-driven society. On the plus side, Americans are more educated than in 1917, making more money on average and our workplaces are more diverse. And in keeping with the centenarian theme, more Americans than ever are living longer lives and hitting the 100-year mark.

Despite this progress, we still have to contend with the problems that continue to plague the U.S.: rising wage inequality, workplace discrimination and the continued transformation of the workforce due to automation.

How we deal with these problems today will shape the next 100 years. Who knows? Someone in 2117 may see this video and reflect on the progress that was achieved.

Let’s look how far our workforce has come in the past century:

  • Education: In 1917, approximately 3.5% of American 18-24-year-olds were enrolled in some form of higher education. That number has jumped up to 35%
  • Workplace Diversity: In the early 20th century, the workplace was largely white and male. 3.8 million nonwhite persons were employed in 1900, representing 14% of the total workforce. Now, minorities represent 22% of the American workforce.
  • The gains for women were even greater. 100 years ago, women constituted 18% of the workforce. Now, women make up nearly half of all workers at 47%.
  • 101 years ago, the first law to ban child labor went into effect. Stronger legislation would ensue and what was 3% of the workforce in 1920 was brought to 0%.
  • Modernization and automation contributed to U.S.’s major shift from an agrarian society. In 1900, 38% of workers were on the farm. Today it’s less than 3%.
  • Another major transformation occurred as American manufacturing declined in the 20th Century. 38% of the workforce in 1917 were producing goods. Automation and offshoring of these jobs have reduced it manufacturing employment to 19%
  • This shift away from manufacturing coincided with the rise and current dominance of service work. Now 78% of American workers are in the service industry.
  • Moving away from low-paying manual labor has paid off for Americans. Back then the average salary of an American was an inflation-adjusted $15,000. Today, the number is $55,000.
  • Of course, none of these benefits would have occurred without major government oversight and enforcement. Just think, the U.S. Department of Labor was a mere babe at 4-years-old in 1917.
Additional Videos is our signature digital series that shines the spotlight on the most innovative initiatives helping to train and re-skill Americans for the most in-demand jobs now and in the future.

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Dana Beth Ardi

Executive Committee

Dana Beth Ardi, PhD, Executive Committee, is a thought leader and expert in the fields of executive search, talent management, organizational design, assessment, leadership and coaching. As an innovator in the human capital movement, Ardi creates enhanced value in companies by matching the most sought after talent with the best opportunities. Ardi coaches boards and investors on the art and science of building high caliber management teams. She provides them with the necessary skills to seek out and attract top-level management, to design the ideal organizational architectures and to deploy people against strategy. Ardi unearths the way a business works and the most effective way for people to work in them.

Ardi is an experienced business executive and senior consultant who leverages business organizational transformation through talent strategies. She uses her knowledge and experience to develop talent strategies to enhance revenue and profit contributions. She has a deep expertise in change management and organizational effectiveness and has designed and built high performance cultures. Ardi has significant experience in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, IPO’s and turnarounds.

Ardi is an expert on the multi-generational workforce. She understands the four intersecting generations of workers coming together in contemporary companies, each with their own mindsets, leadership and communications styles, values and motivations. Ardi is sought after to assist companies manage and thrive by bringing the generations together. Her book, Fall of the Alphas: How Beta Leaders Win Through Connection, Collaboration and Influence, will be published by St. Martin’s Press. The book reflects Ardi’s deep expertise in understanding organizations and our changing society. It focuses on building a winning culture, how companies must grow and evolve, and how talent influences and shapes communities of work. This is what she has coined “Corporate Anthropology.” It is a playbook on how modern companies must meet challenges – culturally, globally, digitally, across genders and generations.

Ardi is currently the Managing Director and Founder of Corporate Anthropology Advisors, LLC, a consulting company that provides human capital advisory and innovative solutions to companies building value through people. Corporate Anthropology works with organizations, their cultures, the way they grow and develop, and the people who are responsible for forming their communities of work.

Prior to her position at Corporate Anthropology Advisors, Ardi served as a Partner/Managing Director at the private equity firms CCMP Capital and JPMorgan Partners. She was a partner at Flatiron Partners, a venture capital firm working with early state companies where she pioneered the human capital role within an investment portfolio.

Ardi holds a BS from the State University of New York at Buffalo as well as a Masters degree and PhD from Boston College. She started her career as professor at the Graduate Center at Fordham University in New York.