U.S. Employers Struggle To Match Workers With Open Jobs

[Dulcinea]

In the United States, there's a record number of jobs open: around 6 million. That's just about one job opening for every officially unemployed person in the country.

Matching the unemployed with the right job is difficult, but there are some things employers could do to improve the odds.

Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist for the job site Glassdoor, says U.S. employers often complain that workers don't have the skills needed for the jobs available. That is true for some upper-level health care and technology jobs. "But for the most part, it doesn't look to be like there is a skills gap," Chamberlain says. "That's not the main reason why there are many job openings."

http://www.npr.org/2017/08/31/547646709/u-s-employers-struggle-to-match-workers-with-open-jobs

[Dulcinea]

1. This is why I left my last job.

Part time, low pay, long commute...1/3 of my take-home pay was going for gas. No thanks.

[stopbush]

2. The not-so-hidden reason they can't find people: ageism.

Lots of highly skilled, experienced and motivated people out there over 50. But the dirty little secret is that being over 50 is one of the major hurdles to getting hired for a decent job these days.

The reasons:

-higher salaries that reflect skill set

-higher company premium costs for employee-provided health insurance

-more work days missed because older workers get sick more often

-hiring managers/executives who are half the age of older workers and don't relate to them

-belief that older workers are mentally slower, more set in their ways and unable to adapt to the changing workplace than young and hungry workers

They won't say it, but it's true - ageism is rampant in the job market.