The Skills Gap - 6 Million Jobs Unfilled

[oyarde]

Scott Sumner mentioned recently that there is a bit of a geographical issue. There is a lot of demand, for example, for construction workers in the coasts. There are a lot of people who could do construction work in the middle of the country, where there isn't much demand. Getting people to move isn't that easy. Not only is there reluctance to increase wages, but reluctance by workers to uproot their families and move, invest in a new place, etc.

What that really means is those people are too smart to move to high tax , high cost of living areas where they would end up with less .

 

[Anti Federalist]

Let's face it, the military looks better to young people with actual blood coursing through their veins than the freak show that higher learning has become. And then they come back here and protect our freedoms, good and hard.

My son is gung ho for that, for those reasons. I made my case as to why I did not agree, but had to let it go at that...anything more would have just made him dig his heels in further.

 

[Anti Federalist]

Pretty much. By the late 90's when I took welding/metal work it was just an elective and only taught in one school in the district. The reason learning all those skills has gone away is because schooling is political-and the politicians want a "knowledge economy". (and they can't even get that right) Now you have to teach kids that stuff yourself or find an industrial arts school. SMFH.

Yup, exactly.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Doesn't almost every major industry claim to have a shortage of workers? We don't have enough Doctors. We don't have enough STEM skilled workers. We can't get people to learn Computer Programming. Or we can't get people to work 'Dirty' Trade Jobs which is Mike Rowe's niche issue.

I think a lot of it is bullshit and sending confusing messages to eager people who waste a lot of time and money on education or training and get turned away due to lack of experience.

The shortage I think does exist is skilled professionals or trades workers with high proficiency in their skills. What is missing are enough junior level or mid level positions open for people to start at.

Finally, employers have created this job market with high demands for experience, yet none of them want to wind up being the ones who provide training to a candidate who then leaves after getting that experience. It's a mess they're not dealing with so they whine to pundits saying Colleges are not turning out quality candidates. Meanwhile many people graduate from college and wind up in shitty retail jobs with crippling student loans.

Agree. It's not just one industry, and it's not just "whiney", incapable young people. It's also the unrealistic demands of employers (another whiney trait). It's an all around whiney society, full of excuses and demands.

Kids think they deserve to be paid $100k with no skills and no experience, while not having to work hard, while employers want highly skilled, experienced workers they can pay minimum wage, who magically appear in front of their faces the moment they need them.

 

[Danke]

My son is gung ho for that, for those reasons. I made my case as to why I did not agree, but had to let it go at that...anything more would have just made him dig his heels in further.

Merchant Marine Academy?

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Kill the free shit programs and everything would level out in a matter of months...

That would certainly help on the worker side of the equation, but it won't change anything in the situation where parents take care of their children well into adulthood...

On the other hand, the general wealth of our society creates alternative paths of least resistance, paths other than real work. Government handouts, private charity, unending "education" and fawning parents are top of the list. Why work, when basic needs can be found without it. All a person needs to do is lower expectations.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Spend 2 hours each way commuting ......

What that really means is those people are too smart to move to high tax , high cost of living areas where they would end up with less .

Quality of life plays a part. Not everyone wants to live or work in a human hive.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

I think AF identified the problem. I have zero problems finding work, if fact I turn away a job a week on average. And I'm in construction and 59 years old. We as a society are turning out what? Look around, it's not hard to see.

Experience with connections usually results in demand (barring major systemic changes).

The old dilema applies today more than ever. Can't get work without experience, can't get experience without work...now it's called a "skills gap". What "solutions" will be proposed?

 

[timosman]

Experience with connections usually results in demand (barring major systemic changes).

The old dilema applies today more than ever. Can't get work without experience, can't get experience without work...now it's called a "skills gap". What "solutions" will be proposed?

Muh edukation.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Muh edukation.

And once they are all conditioned to be good little social justice warriors, they still won't have any skills, other than being useful idiots.

 

[Origanalist]

Experience with connections usually results in demand (barring major systemic changes).

The old dilema applies today more than ever. Can't get work without experience, can't get experience without work...now it's called a "skills gap". What "solutions" will be proposed?

Same as always, get your foot in the door any way you can and make yourself valuable. My experience is limited to construction and I think you folks are talking about other fields. In my experience there is always a spot at the bottom but maybe not in what you're talking about.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Same as always, get your foot in the door any way you can and make yourself valuable. My experience is limited to construction and I think you folks are talking about other fields. In my experience there is always a spot at the bottom but maybe not in what you're talking about.

Even at Starbuck's, they want you to have experience...

 

[VIDEODROME]

The message is not that business are really looking for the skilled American Worker in most cases. It's the message they give to the media as their excuse for automating or moving to Mexico or China. Probably feeling this is how best to streamline the company while serving their stockholders.

After a point, the last thing they want is lots of legit qualified candidates showing up and confusing the plans already laid out to shrink the company.

To be fair, I don't think most companies are like this, but enough are to send confusing messages to Americans who actually do want to train up either to work manufacturing or attending these Code Bootcamps thinking they can crank out Javascript all day.