In the News

Distinguishing People From Paper Clips

Angela Hanks discusses the importance of human capital investments and provides a solution to the human capital measurement problem.

Corporate leaders know that investing in workers is good for business. According to a 2012 IBM survey, 71 percent of CEOs cited human capital as a “key source of sustained economic value.” Indeed, research shows that increasing workers’ human capital boosts firm productivity.  Yet from 2001 to 2009, the number of workers who reported receiving training on the job fell by nearly 28 percent.  What caused the decline in training?

One explanation may be companies’ increased focus on short-term profits, coupled with a lack of transparency around investments in human capital.

The above excerpt was originally published in Morning Consult. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Angela Hanks

Former Director, Workforce Development Policy

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