We want our policies to reflect the growing trends in the labor market. Currently, women fill over 50 percent of the state's 3.3 million jobs, and by the year 2005, that number is projected to climb to 60 percent. The majority of these working women have children. Today women and men are walking a narrow tightrope. As working parents struggle to maintain their balance, business must find its own balance too - if it wants to keep skilled, trusted workers, which is the key to staying in business.
Workers are clear on what they want from employers.
The U.S. Department of Labor says that 85 percent of the workforce likes the idea of flexible hours. 75 percent want family-leave time. 50 percent think their companies should support a child care center. And if their company doesn't offer these things, more and more workers are deciding to leave for companies that do. There is a new survey of men between the ages of 20 and 40 that says the top priority is balancing work and family.