Lots of people are out of work or under-employed, yet, companies are having trouble hiring people. How can that be? The short answer is that the country is part way through a gradual realignment of labor in response to waves of technological innovations. Said another way, technology is outpacing the current skills of many people to do the work employers need done. I hear this frequently from area employers and it’s a national problem as shown in this story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
In time this situation will correct itself. Employers will pay for the skilled employees they need and education institutions and workers will respond to the demand. In the meantime, we’ll continue to see stories like this one.