The composition of the modern labor force is changing rapidly. Increasing diversity in race, ethnicity, and gender, a shift in age distribution, and a shift in the skill levels required of the workforce have created new challenges for human resource professionals. It is critical for human resource managers to be aware of the changing trends in workforce composition because these trends will impact the organization's options for creating an internal labor force with the skills and motivation to help the organization gain a competitive advantage. Read the case below and answer the questions that follow. Jennifer thought she had done a good job as her company's HR director in terms of forecasting employee needs, but there were clearly some trends that she had not anticipated. The most significant of these trends was the huge increase in the number of immigrants now living in the local community. Although these newcomers were willing and capable of performing many jobs in the company's plant, there were some definite issues with language and cultural differences. Jennifer also sensed some reservation on the part of long-time employees toward accepting the newcomers. Jennifer now knows she needs to be proactive in preventing workforce issues and making the best use of this new group of potential employees. Trends in the external labor force affect a company's Multiple Choice internal work force. bottom line. ability to expand operations. sales forecasting. safety requirements.