The Leisure Economy:
How Changing Demographics, Economics and Generational Attitudes Will Reshape Our Lives and Our Industries
What will it mean when a society used to being time-crunched finds it is awash leisure time – and how will that affect the economy?
The Leisure Economy offers an insightful look at a coming sea change in the North American economy. As millions of baby boomers begin to retire, the U.S. and Canadian economies will be flooded with people who literally have time on their hands. In the workforce, the boomers will be replaced by generations temperamentally different from the boomers. Gen X and Gen Y understand the worth of leisure time – and when they’re in charge they just might demand some. As Linda Nazareth explains, it will all make for some profound shocks to our lives, industries and institutions.
Lost in the day to day frenzy of the time crunch economy, many have yet to really consider what lies ahead. Whether you are an investor, a consumer, a business owner or a worker, you need to stay ahead of the paradigm shift.
- •The Baby Boom, Gen X and Gen Y—Three Views of Leisure: Each generation has its own view of work and leisure. How will those views affect the economy as demographic change wrecks havoc over the next decade?
- •The leisure economy meets the workplace: What is Gen Y demanding in the workplace now – and what will they want as the boomers start to retire?. Gen X is next in line to get the top jobs – will they even want them? Remember the dogs and parakeets that got kicked out of the office after the dot.com boom went bust? If may be time to welcome them back.
- •Get ready for a new class of ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’: The next big divide in North America will be between the leisure haves and have-nots and it will be as polarizing as the widening gap between rich and poor. Not all boomers can afford leisure and not all of the post-boomers can either. Get ready for inter-generational envy – and cross-generational envy too.
- •A leisure boom does not an economic boom make: Why the leisure boom may not be good for the economy – or for your portfolio
- •The coming boom in the volunteer sector: There will be more time to spare – will non-profit organizations figure out how to bring it in?
- •The leisure economy map: Without the pull of the workforce, where will people choose to live? Will the leiusre economy mean more people headed to city condos, or to little hamlets in the country?
- •The ‘leisure’ industries: Why is education likely to be the biggest growth industry of the future? What about the other leisure industries—from reading through to golf through to gambling through to travel? Which are likely to be the winners?
- •What Exactly is Leisure Time: Is some form of a time crunch here to stay, simply because we don’t know how to relax anymore?
Busting myths and making bold predictions about who will be the winners and losers in the new world, The Leisure Economy will fuel a debate about the coming leisure boom and its implications for North America.
