Employers looking for employees

James Ledbetter may have just explained why Americans are not seeing a
positive improvement in the national job market. Not only that, but he
tackled the issue of why companies appear to be looking for employees
while employees are looking for work.

Unfortunately, as many may expect, it’s due to a failed stimulus package.

A simplified explanation of Ledbetter’s reasoning is based on the stimulus package misdirecting economic activity. In other words, investments were placed in industries that were not growing or had suitable candidates for employment. Rather, funds were allocated to industries that would benefit least.

This has caused employers looking for employees who aren’t qualified, and employees looking for jobs. Clearly, intentions aren’t aligned.

An obvious example of where this will most likely happen in the near future is the healthcare industry. For the most part there is a specific, trained skill set that one must have acquired to get these jobs. Once everyone has healthcare, hospitals will need to create more positions to fulfill business demand. However, the labor force may not be ready for this — due to training; and, the industry already has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at somewhere around 3.2 percent.

Although the above example isn’t a direct response to the stimulus, it clearly depicts scenarios that are being played out on a micro-level with industries and companies across the nation.

So when people say: Where are the jobs? Well, there’re here, according to James Ledbetter; just not where they will benefit Americans.

Nationally syndicated columnist Williams can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Power 169, from 7 to 8 p.m. and 4 to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday.