Updated continuously by citizens like you, Newsvine is an instant reflection of what the world is talking about at any given moment.
Article Source: al.com
Unemployment is at record highs, yet study shows there is a middle-skills worker shortage in the South. Is there a lack of media coverage regarding this worker shortage or it there another reason the problem exists?
The study looked at 16 southern states plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It shows that 52 percent of employers in 2011 reported difficulty filling specific jobs within their operations, compared with 14 percent just a year earlier.
Middle-skill level occupations were named frequently among the top 10 hardest-to-fill jobs. Among those rising fastest were heating and air conditioning technicians, dental hygienists, environmental engineering technicians, firefighters and medical technologists.
It's difficult to understand the reason as to why. There are numerous technical schools and colleges teaching these skills throughout the South.
CoH please.
#1 - Sun Aug 21, 2011 8:53 PM EDTAs a HVAC man with 35 years of experience I can state categorically that there is no lack of manpower but there is a REAL lack of jobs.
Thanks for the personal insight Wheel. I agree with you, there is a REAL lack of jobs. I have friends in the HVAC field and no one's hiring. Much of their work compared to the past is for emergency calls, and not big projects.
Our shop has gone from 11 men working full time to 3 men getting 30-35 hours a week most weeks.
Sorry to hear that Wheel, I didn't realize demand was down that much. That's terrible news!
Maybe the problem is skilled workers don't want to work for burger flippin' wages in redneck land under free to fire rules.
ryoushi12
Maybe the problem is skilled workers don't want to work for burger flippin' wages ...
Good point! Many of these states are Right to Work states (a contradiction in itself) that are populated with law makers who religiously preach the need for employees to receive low-level wages from corporate employers who help fund their political campaigns.
In TN. where i live the workers outnumber the jobs by a large margin. Graduates from the tech. schools have a hard time finding a job because employers want experienced workers.
#2 - Sun Aug 21, 2011 10:00 PM EDTThe report released by the National Skills Coalition during the Southern Governors Association ...
DR ZORBA. I hope the study wasn't just blowing smoke. When tech school graduates have a hard time finding jobs it isn't because there's a lack of skilled workers. Employers appear to be picking and choosing who and how they define "skilled workers." As you commented some employers in TN want only experienced workers. Other employers around the country will not hire anyone who's been unemployed for a lengthy period of time. Some will only hire a worker if they're currently employed. Something doesn't seem to add up when it comes to suggesting a skilled worker shortage.
You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
Log In | Register
