A Depleting Global Workforce

Posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 by Van Tran

The future of income per capita isn’t looking good anywhere. Projections for the number of educated workers by economic region looks grim, making up less then half the expected net additions in 2010 to 2030. Even more worrying, the forecast shows a significant decline in net additions over this period, due significantly in part to the world’s aging population. Forget about unemployment; not only will there be job vacancies, there also won’t be anyone to fill them (unless something changes about how old – or by contrast how young – our workforce becomes).

Chart from the Economist.

Aside on Aging

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Sometimes I look back and miss some of the things I once had. The places I’ve been, the friends I’ve had – I imagine this is only the meagre beginnings of what aging will feel like. I can only imagine.

Bridging Human Connection and Migration – A Photo Series by John Clang

Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 by Van Tran

Tools like Skype have redefined what it means to be in distant relationships or to leave family and friends behind. It has helped people conquer the challenges of distance and shifted the intrinsic costs of travel and migration. Although the benefits of video-calling and high-speed internet can be brought together in an analysis of implications for micro decision-making, migration and – by extension – comparative regional economic prosperity, it is important to keep in mind the deep humanity of the subject.

Artist John Clang’s moving photo series, Be Here Now, captures projected families and their international members brought together. View the whole series on Visual News.

Glad It’s Friday

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Cute! I’m tired too. Exams and interviews are finally done. Glad it’s Friday!

Taking the Lead

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Have you ever stumbled into a leadership position before you realized it was yours? Do additional responsibilities sneak onto your lap too, hiding out until you realize that it’s too late (or too improper) to return them? It’s both a blessing and a curse for the skilled, talented, and not-so-quick-witted. Fortunately for you, I am not so quick-witted.

Interviews: Week 2 – Designer Resumés

Posted on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 by Van Tran

In light of the second week of unending CO-OP interviews, here’s a set of inspiring designer resumés for the stand-out job seeker, by Loft Resumes.

I wonder what the market is like. Do more highly-skilled individuals purchase more expensive resumé design services? Where’s the demand, from which industries, regions, demographic groups? So much information at their fingertips…

Innovative Urban Planning or Pricey London Garbage Bin?

Posted on Monday, June 11, 2012 by Van Tran

Space is expensive, and although this high-tech garbage bin is an effective use of space, I wouldn’t say it’s cost effective. How much time will it save commuters to see the status of the Underground on trash bins, when they can just check it on their phones? Sure, not everyone has an app-hosting phone, but I’d count on it sometime soon.

What else could you put on a garbage bin screen updated in real-time? Image reblogged from This Big City.

On Intellectual Need

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There is a concept that psychologists and education theorists refer to as intellectual need. It’s the idea that people perceive holes, or negative space in their framework of the universe and subsequently want to fill those gaps with information. It’s one of the driving forces behind how we learn and assimilate cognitive information into a meaningful world-view… – Excerpt from the Bygone Bureau

Correlation not the same as Causation

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At some point, every economics student has a moment that goes something like this.

Coffee and Interviews

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I wonder if coffee sales on the University of Ottawa campus spike during CO-OP’s 2-week-long first round of interviews. From my consumption alone? Maybe.

Photo reblogged from Sightglass in San Francisco.