Instead of figuring ways to extract more campaign contributions and free golf trips from lobbyists, members of Congress ought to focus on a growing labor problem in the United States - a shortage of workers.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce officials said earlier this week U.S. businesses will be facing a critical and growing shortage of workers in the next few years, as an estimated 70 million-plus baby boomers enter retirement.

Chamber officials identified two key issues - the need for allowing more foreign workers into the country, and the shortfall of college graduates with degrees and training in math and engineering.

On the first matter, the chamber supports a guest-worker program, such as discussed by President Bush but left out of a House-approved bill. On the other issue, chamber officials believe the only way to get more skilled, educated workers is to convince U.S. schools to focus more on math, science and engineering. China currently graduates eight times more engineers than U.S. colleges and universities. Chamber and business community officials say the U.S. needs to double the number of math, science and engineering graduates in the next decade.

Restocking the labor pool with home-grown workers might be simpler than encouraging more foreign workers to come to the U.S. Political bias all but guarantees a battle over any guest-worker program, and achieving such an objective in a Republican-controlled Congress is even more problematic.

One solution would be to convince baby boomers - especially those with science and engineering backgrounds - not to leave the work force.

Golf, fishing and travel vs. more 60-hour work weeks? That'll be a tough sell.

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January 6, 2006